Kogi CJ urges relocation of submerged high court

Chief Judge of Kogi state, Justice Nasir Ajanah has appealed to the state government for the relocation of submerged Koton-Karfe High Court complex to avoid the perennial flooding and the attendant challenges in administration of justice in the area.
Ajanah, who made the appeal on Wednesday while doing an assessment of the extent of damage on the submerged complex, said relocation was the only alternative, to arrest the perennial breaks in the administration of criminal justice in the area.
According to him, “the busiest prison yard in the state is located in this town.
So, it is important that we relocate the court from here to another place within the town where flood will not affect the court.
Ajanah said the cost of putting up a new complex for the High Court and the Chief Magistrate Court in Koton-Karfe would be included in the state supplementary budget and hoped that it would be approved and released.
At the palace of the Ohimege of KotonKarfe, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Isah-Koto, the Chief Judge reiterated the need to relocate the court and appealed to the traditional ruler to allocate another land for the construction of a new complex.
He said it was the community that allocated the land for the submerged complex without knowing that the area was prone to flood.
Responding, the paramount ruler expressed the community’s regret over the unfortunate hiccups arising from the natural disaster and promised that land would be sought and allocated within the next one week.
The royal father however appealed to the Chief Judge to establish smaller courts, especially around the new Medium Security Prison in the area to take care of litigations arising from riverine communities.