Justice Halima Abdulmalik, the Chief Judge of Niger State, has revealed that the state Judicial Service Commission terminated the employment of 32 judicial staff due to their involvement in corruption and corrupt practices in the past year.
Speaking at the special court session to mark the commencement of the 2023/2024 legal year of the High Court of Niger state on Tuesday, October 17, the Chief Judge also said that 32 staff retired in one year.
Abdulmalik, who gave a review of the 2022/2023 return of cases said that the state judiciary currently has a total of 3,418 pending, saying out of which 486 cases were freshly filed while 2,932 were brought forward from the 2021/2022 judicial year.
He said: “From the available statistics, it is apparent that on average, each Judge of the High Court has a total of 228 cases in his docket and 34 cases were disposed of per judge.
“For Magistracy, a total of 8,840 cases were filed, 5,478 were disposed of while 3,234 are pending while at the Sharia Court of Appeal, 61 appeals were filed, 27 were disposed of while 34 are still pending.”
Niger state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago in his address called on the judiciary to remain committed to the principles of justice, fairness and equality.
Bago acknowledged that the judiciary plays a vital role in upholding the rule of law and ensuring justice for all thereby making the society stable while he emphasized the relentless efforts of the judiciary in protecting the rights of the citizens and maintaining the integrity of the legal system.
He noted: “We have witnessed the resilience of our legal system in the face of various challenges. The court has continued to dispense justice impartially and efficiently despite limited resources and a growing caseload”.
The Governor however called on them to ensure justice is timely and accessible, explore innovative strategies that would quicken the resolution of cases, and continue to promote ethical conduct and professionalism among others.
