Law News
C-River CJ advocates employment of more judicial staff

The Chief Judge of Cross River State, Justice Okoi Itam, has called for the employment of more staff for the judiciary to ease the increasing administrative functions of the judiciary and the need for efficient functioning, growth and sustenance of the courts.

Justice Itam, who made the call at the opening of the 2014/2015 legal year of the state judiciary, lamented that the staff strength of the judiciary had reduced from 2000 in 1999 to 741, as against 779 in September 2013 due to loss of 38 staff: 29 to retirement and nine to death in the year under review, without replacement.

He decried the yearly reduction in staff strength, stressing that same had constituted a threat to the rule of law and the justice delivery system in the state.

Justice Itam said that a total of 2,179 cases were rolled over from 2012/2013 legal year, 1,733 fresh cases filed in the 2013/2014 legal year were disposed of, while 1,961 are still pending in the high courts.

In the magistrates’ court, Justice Itam hinted that a total of 20,990 cases were rolled over from the 2012/2013 legal year, while 6,771 cases were filed in the 2013/2014 legal year, 3,186 were disposed off while 24,575 others are still pending.

“In the district court a total of 580 cases were brought forward from the 2012/2013 legal year, 2446 fresh cases filed in 2013/2014 were disposed off and 985 still pending.

“We shall not relent in our efforts to initiate, adopt, device and implement measures aimed at ensuring the optimum welfare of the staff.”

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