The Bauchi state Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar, on Friday launched and unveiled a small claims’ court and the small-claims-court-practice direction number 2 of 2022.
The small claims court, which is promoted by the Presidential Enabling Environment Court, is a simplified judicial process to ensure speedy dispensation of simple debts and liquidated money demand for cases.
Speaking at the inauguration, the chief judge said the judicial intervention in the state was starting with two courts in Bauchi and one in Katagum Judicial Division.
She said the monetary jurisdiction of the courts was N3 million and would be improved “as time goes on to ease accessibility across 20 local government areas of the state.”
She commended the committee under the chairmanship of Justice Mu’azu Abubakar for producing “a structure and legal framework for the courts” tagged, District Court Law Practice Direction on Small Claims Courts “which is instrumental to helping potential litigants understand the court’s procedures.”
Earlier, the state’s chief registrar, Barrister Subilim Emmanuel Danjuma, said the establishment of the courts was borne out of the request from the Enabling Business Environment in January, 2022.
Danjuma said the Small Claims Courts “is a judicial intervention derived from the global best practices to facilitate enforcement of contracts for micro, small and medium enterprises and improve access to justice for small business holders.”
He thanked the special adviser to the president on Ease of Doing Business, who is also the secretary of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, for the training and re-training of members of the judicial committee, courts’ officials.
In her remarks, Dr. Oduwole commended the state’s judiciary for supporting the process to establish the courts and urged relevant stakeholders to champion the course to the letter.
