Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State, on Monday, presented 24 Jeeps to High Court judges, as part of efforts to enhance the welfare of judicial officers in the state.

The governor, while presenting the vehicles to the judges in Kaduna, said more vehicles would be provided to other judges.

El-Rufai also disclosed plans by the government to construct housing estates for the judges.

“The next beneficiaries will be Khadis of Sharia Court of Appeal and judges of the Customary Court of Appeal. They will be delivered soon by God’s grace, not only the incoming judges but also the existing ones.

“The state government has plans to develop housing estate for senior judges, as currently, judges are accommodated in government buildings scattered across the state.

“We believe that if we develop housing estate where all the senior judges will be in comfortable accommodation, with clubhouse and shopping facility, they will have a self-contained community and better security.

“We are working on that and very soon the developer will approach heads of courts to look at the designs that are suitable,’’ he said.

The governor added that the government was working on retirement and post-retirement housing scheme for judicial staff, as it is one of the issues that bother most civil servants as they approach retirement.

“We are working on a scheme to brief heads of courts while they develop houses for sale to senior judges and provide mortgage facilities for them at single digits interest for them to acquire these houses and pay over a period of 15-20 years.

“Every citizen of Kaduna is entitled to a house, we cannot provide for everyone, but we will provide a framework that will give everyone the opportunity to borrow and buy a house over 15 to 20 years

“We already have this in place, we have agreement with three banks and we already have N4 billion to lend to people,’’ the governor said.

According, to him, the government also has plans to provide one central area for all courts in Kaduna instead of the scattered manner they are located.

“We are looking at a place where we can build something similar to the Federal Capital Territory with about 20 high courts in one place and relocate the courts scattered all over town.

“We will do something similar in Zaria, Kachia, Kafanchan, Birnin-Gwari and Saminaka and in all the major sections of the state, so that dispensation of justice will be easier and better.

“We will work with the judiciary to put-in technology to help ease the workload of judges,’’ el-Rufai said.

He lamented that judges overwork themselves and are under-appreciated, noting that Kaduna State judiciary is ranked number one by the World Bank ranking on the ease of doing business and in handling commercial disputes.

He reiterated his continuous support to the judiciary, urging them to remain the best as he would push for more judges to reduce the workload.

On his part, the state’s Chief Judge, Mohammed Bello, thanked the state government for the gesture, saying that it was first of its kind.

“It is an honour done to the judiciary, where each judge will have a car given to him by the state government.

“We thank you so much for all you have done and other things you are doing for us in the judiciary.

“We look forward to receiving the remaining vehicles for sharia court of appeal and customary court of appeal judges,’’ he said.

Bello disclosed that he was speaking with the National Judicial Service Commission on the redeployment of 47 additional judges to the state.

(NAN)

_______________________________________________________________________ LAWBREED NEW WIG SPECIAL OFFER — Give a newly called lawyer a lasting professional gift. Get up to 20% off selected LAWBREED Supreme Court Reports, plus access to My S.C Extra, featuring Supreme Court judgments from 1972 to date. Call/WhatsApp: 08077011741 | 08077011755 | 08077011730 | 08023269613 Email: orders@lawbreed.com | mails@lawbreed.com LAWBREED — Equipping You For Greater Success! _______________________________________________________________________

“Order Justice Omolaye-Ajileye’s Electronic Evidence Books Now” — Essential Guides On Evidence Act, Case Law And Digital Proof

Two leading books on electronic evidence by Hon. Justice Professor Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, Rtd., PhD, FICMC, are now available for purchase. The publications, Electronic Evidence (Second Edition), With The Evidence Act, 2011 and Compendium Of Cases On Electronic Evidence, Volume II, 2020–2025, provide practical guidance, legal analysis and recent judicial authorities on electronic evidence in Nigeria.Order directly from the author here: https://velvety-cendol-7387ed.netlify.app/ ______________________________________________________________________ Groundbreaking Guide For Lawyers: Adigwe Publishes ‘Artificial Intelligence For Lawyers’ With Free Research eBook As an added bonus, every purchase comes with a FREE ebook titled: “How to use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion.” Ohio Books Ltd praises the publication, stating: "....this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic." How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626 Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACiarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.   ______________________________________________________________________ [A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
“Evidence Act: Complete Annotation” by renowned legal experts Sanni & Etti.
Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation ________________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence

Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via: 0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888 Website: www.alexandernigeria.com

_______________________________________________________________________