The Kogi High Court of Justice is to unveil a new Civil Procedure Rules to guide court proceedings, effective from the next Legal Year.
By Thompson Yamput
The Kogi High Court of Justice is to unveil a new Civil Procedure Rules to guide court proceedings, effective from the next Legal Year.
The Chief Judge (CJ) of Kogi, Justice Josiah Majebi, made this known during the inauguration of the second quarter Appeals Session of the Court at the judiciary headquarters in Lokoja on Thursday.
Majebi said that the new rules, reviewed by a committee headed by Justice Abdul Awulu, addressed all necessary grey areas in the existing rules of the court.
The CJ said that the implementation of the new rules requires certain mechanisms which would be put in place before the expiration of the current legal year.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that during the presentation of the rules, the committee chairman highlighted key areas that have been improved upon including the abolition of pre-trial conferences, virtual proceedings, e-filing.
Others are improvements in probate administration, general review of fees, and the adoption of Alternative Dispute Resolution in certain matters.
“These changes are designed to respond to the requirements of contemporary adjudication in courts with similar jurisdictions.
“It’s my belief that the new civil procedure rules, will further improve the High Court efficiency and effectiveness in dispensing justice fairly to the people.”
He appreciated members of the review committee, which also included representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association and the state’s Ministry of Justice for doing justice to the review.
“I believe that we all know the importance of collaboration between the judiciary and the Bar in ensuring the smooth operation of the court.
“Therefore,I urge the lawyers that will be appearing before the panels to abide by procedural ethics during the appeal sessions.
“I expect them to prioritize timely justice delivery and support the Judges to ensure cases are disposed of within stipulated time frames, ” he said.
Majebi stressed that the Judges have made significant sacrifice of relocating to the various courts they were posted across the state for the success of the appeals session and urged lawyers to complement that by making quick dispensation of justice their mantra.
According to him, the inauguration of the appeal session marks a significant step in the state’s judiciary’s efforts to enhance the administration of justice and ensure timely delivery of justice.
He assured the Bar that the rule of law, fairness, and justice would always prevail in all adjudicatory processes of the state.
NAN reports that the appeal panels would be sitting in six judicial divisions of the state with two panels each in Lokoja, Ankpa, and Idah.
They would hear a total number of 75 cases, mostly fresh ones, as the CJ said the quarterly appeal sessions have significantly disposed the backlog of cases he inherited. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)