.CJ sets up performance, evaluation committee for magistrates
Kano State Government has been rated as the best state in terms of implementation of Administration of Criminal Justice Law in Nigeria (ACJL).
The Federal Government, in collaboration with the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, organised a three-day national stakeholders’ forum for review of ACJL in Abuja.
Each state made a presentation on the efforts it made, the success recorded and the challenges faced in the process of implementing the law.
Kano State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Isa Dederi, expressed optimism over the success the state made and assured of the commitment of the current administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf in prioritising the judiciary, especially in the implementation of public laws in the state.
He said the current administration resolved so many criminal and civil cases that are before courts in the state.
Director, Public Prosecution of Kano State Ministry of Justice, Hajiya Aisha Mahmud, represented the state at the occasion where the state emerged one of the six best performing states among the 36 states of the federation.
Meanwhile, the state’s Chief Judge (CJ), Justice Dije Abdu-Aboki, has set up a performance and evaluation committee to assess magistrates’ performance quarterly to ensure good administration of justice in the state.
According to a statement by the state’s Judiciary Spokesman, Baba Jibo-Ibrahim, yesterday, Abdu-Aboki disclosed this during a meeting with magistrates at the Conference Hall of the High Court of Justice in Kano.
“Magistracy is closer to the people at the grassroots. Magistrates, therefore, should exhibit a high sense of commitment to preservation of the rule of law,” the statement said.
The CJ, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), urged the magistrates to refrain from taking cases that are not assigned to them, as it is a flagrant abuse of office and attracts serious disciplinary action.
“As custodian of the law, issuing ex-parte order without application and proper recording is an infraction,” the CJ added.
She urged the magistrates to take full control of their courts and supervise their registries to minimise incidences of common infractions, such as cases without dates, among others.
