Legal Aid Council treats 227 cases in Kano

The Council’s State Coordinator, Abubakar Umar, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano that the number comprised both criminal and civil cases. He said “Out of the number, 154 were criminal cases, which represents 67.8 per cent, while the remaining 73 were civil cases, which represent 32.2 per cent of the total number of cases.” Mr Umar said the number of substantive cases received and handled at the High Courts was 83, with 12 at Shari’a Courts and 76 at the Magistrate Courts. He said 12 mediation cases were also treated, representing 16.4 per cent of the entire civil cases received in the year under review. The state coordinator added that 44 legal advices were issued, representing 60 per cent of the total number of civil cases received. He explained further that substantive civil and criminal cases at various courts were 171, representing 75 per cent of the entire cases granted and 160 cases were completed. “There are 322 pending cases, including those brought forward from previous years. “Of these cases in arrears, 139 were won during the period which represents 86.8 per cent of the entire number of completed cases. “However, only 22 cases were lost, representing 13.7 per cent,’’ he said. The coordinator disclosed that the total number of cases handled by Legal Aid lawyers was 136 cases which represent 59.9 per cent of the entire cases handled by the office. He said private practitioners on “pro bono’’ handled one case while National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) lawyers handled 36 cases which represent 15 per cent. (NAN)]]>