Amendment of customary court law delaying reconstitution, says Commission

The executive secretary of Anambra State Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Mr. Christian Nnabuihe has explained that the delay in reconstituting the customary courts in the state is as a result of the decision to amend the customary courts law.

According to him, the move is in order to enable only qualified legal practitioners to serve as presidents and members of customary courts, in line with modern trend in customary law practice all over the country.

JSC in a press release said the draft bill for the proposed amendment has since been pending before the State House of Assembly, and is still waiting for the attention of the House committee on Judiciary and Justice.

Reacting to reports that the chairman of the House committee on Judiciary, Chugbo Enwezor called for immediate reconstitution of the state customary courts, Nnabuihe said the commission reached a unanimous decision to amend the law since April 20, 2016.

He also bemoaned the inability of the House committee in securing adequate budgetary allocation to the JSC, which he said, has led the Commission to borrow money for its activities, following the allocation of a meager sum of N2.2million to the commission in the 2017 fiscal year.He therefore urged Enwezor to ensure the quick passage of the proposed amendment before the panels would be reconstituted.