400 lawyers facing trial for professional misconduct – Delta CJ

Justice Umukoro who spoke to journalists yesterday in Asaba on activities of this year’s, “Legal Year Celebration”, disclosed that the State Judiciary was set to tackle the perennial challenges of prison’s congestion in the state. According to the State Chief Judge, modalities had been worked out on reproducing inmate in courts, adding that as part of its resolution reached at the recent meeting of stakeholders, it was unanimous that the administration of justice delivery to articulate problems confronting the speedy dispensation of justice in the state, including finding ways of proffering plausible solutions that will ameliorate the precarious situation. Expectedly the stakeholders’ committee, Justice Umukoro said, comprises the Chief Registrar, representatives of Prisons authority, the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Bar Association, relevant non-governmental organisations and department of state security service that will be saddled with the responsibilities, among others to synergise with the Nigeria Police aimed at fashioning out arrangement that will provide logistics, particularly vehicles to convey inmates to and from courts during sittings. Umukoro however decried the worrisome situation where judges, prosecution counsel, legal practitioners and registrars of courts are ready to go on with trials, but cannot due to non-availability of vehicles to produce inmates awaiting trials in courts, and disclosed that as part of measures to tackle the problem head on, criminal jurisdictions in the state would be increased, adding that judges handling criminal cases have been directed to also sit in Agbor, Owa-Oyibo and Umunede. He said: “The forum advocated for the establishment of more criminal jurisdictions in the state to decongest the courts of cases. We have over 400 lawyers currently facing trial for currently facing trial for various offences of professional misconduct”. He cautioned lawyers to avoid meddling with clients’ money. Meanwhile, activities to mark the official opening of the 2017/2018 legal year celebration in the state comes up Monday November 13, 2017. A statement from the office of the Chief Judge, Umukoro indicated that as part of the activities marking the legal year celebration, there will be a thanksgiving mass at the Emmanuel the Saviour Catholic Church, High Court Road Asaba. In another development, the chairman House Committee on Environment, Oil and Gas, Mr. Daniel Yingi has charged the Ministry of Environment to work towards opening more drains in the state to check the perennial flooding as well as other environmental issues. The Lawmaker, who decried the low performance of environmental sanitation in parts of the state, urged the ministry to step up activities. Mr. Yingi who was reacting on a media report on poor sanitation in some parts of the state, expressed worry over the level of environmental sanitation in the state and charged the ministry to make good of its promise at making Delta State, one of the cleanest states in Nigeria.]]>