The Chief Judge of Katsina State, Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar, has declared that 80% of the prison inmates in Katsina State are mostly those awaiting trials since 2016, due to the non-performance of the justice ministry as well as inadequate number of legal personnel from the ministry to handle cases.
Justice Abubakar, who made the disclosure in his office in Katsina while receiving newly appointed Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Idris Dabban and his team, further blamed the State’s Ministry of Justice and her personnel, whom he said are mainly politicians who pay lesser attention to judicial duties.
He said, “If the Attorney-General is there all the time, the OC Legal will have his work cut out.
“Unfortunately, some technicalities that often emanates from the Justice Ministry often take over and cause delays.
“The Commissioner of Police, the Director of Public Prosecution and the Attorney-General, ought to sit down regularly to iron out pending issues.”
“2016 cases are still pending and unattended to. They should start tracking cases and stop shifting blames. Why should the ministry delay the prosecution of cases? Why should their case files be missing all the time?’
“80% of the inmates in Katsina prisons are mainly those awaiting trials since 2016…. When IGP came here on familiarisation visits, we told him of the cordial relationship between the courts and the police. Court reforms are facing less serious issues; very important roles are assigned to the police in Criminal Justice systems.”
The CJ further disclosed that the disputes resolved last year through conflict resolution mechanisms were greater than those handled by regular court trials.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police told the CJ that the command sees the Judiciary as second component and important stakeholder in the administration of justice.
He therefore solicited the cooperation and synergy of the Judiciary with law enforcement agencies in the state to ensure quick justice delivery
According to him: “We are in a terrible situation and we can’t move forward without your cooperation and support.”