By Oyibo Salihu
Lokoja
Chief Judge of Kogi state, Justice Nasiru Ajanah, has assured members of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) that a division of Appeal Court “will soon be established in Lokoja, the state capital.”
Justice Ajanah gave the assurance in his office yesterday when four chairmen of branches of NBA in the state paid him a courtesy visit to solicit for his support to enable the state has a division of appeal Court for ease dispensation of cases.
He said the issue of having a Court of Appeal had been on the front burner for long, lamenting that the conditions given “cannot easily be met, especially in the current face of economic recession.”
He noted that parts of the request was the provision of a befitting court rooms and five block of houses for Judges accommodation which he said had hindered the establishment of the court in the state .
The Chief Judge, however, assured that he will meet Governor Yahaya Bello, for discussion, but urging the committee to also extend similar visit to the President of Court of Appeal.
While warning members of the bar to desist from unnecessary cause for adjournment of cases, the Chief Judge urged them to increase the affidavit levy from N50 to N100.
Earlier, the leader of the committee, Barrister Emmanuel Haruna, said the four branches had been meeting periodically and one of the issues that bothered them was how a Court of Appeal Division “can be established in Lokoja to serve the people.”
According to him, the committee was set up to liaise with the Attorney General of the state and the Chief Judge to renew the desire and quest for the establishment of Court of Appeal in Lokoja.
“We are suffering, our clients are suffering and our cases suffered set back when we have to travel all the way and all the time to Abuja to attend to Appeal cases.
“We are using this medium to solicit the support of the state government and the Chief Judge of the state so that this plight of ours can be address once and for all.”
