Katsina CJ reads riot act to judges over corruption

Chief Judge of Katsina State, Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar, has cautioned judges in the state to desist from all shades of corruption during the discharge of their duties.

Justice Abubakar said being persons that interpret statutes, the law would not be lenient with any of them found to be involved in corruption.
The chief justice was speaking yesterday at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop for Principal/Senior Shari’a Court Judges in the state, organised by the State Shari’a Commission.

Said he, “Judges should avoid corruption because the Chief Judge and Grand Khadi will not spare any judge that is found wanting.“You should understand that you have a lot of burden on you; whenever case is brought before you, try to do justice by carrying out your responsibility within the ambit of the law.”

Abubakar, however, lamented that the judiciary was going through challenges, especially the dearth of judges needed to handle cases brought by the ever-increasing population.“We know that there are a lot of cases pending before the courts. We are having so many people coming to court over issues, but there is dearth of judges to adequately take care of such cases.

“The number of cases continues to increase at a geometric rate, which makes it a burden for the limited number of judges available to look into the cases,” he said.He added said that despite the challenge, it was better for people to “continue to go to courts to seek redress rather than take the laws into their hands.”

Governor Aminu Masari, represented by the state’s Attorney-General, Ahmad el-Marzuq, called on judges to intensify efforts towards dispensing justice without fear or favour. “You should remember to abide by the oath you have taken, that you would be fair to all without favour while discharging your duties.’He commended the cordial working relationship between the legislature, executive and judiciary, which, he said, was beneficial to the overall development of the state.

The Shari’a Commission’s Secretary, Magaji Liman, said the two-day workshop would provide additional knowledge to the judges in the course of their duties.Liman, therefore, called on the participants not to hesitate to ask questions or seek explanation on gray areas during the workshop.