The Chief Judge of the court, Justice Ishaq Bello revealed this yesterday during the beginning of the New Legal Year 2015/2016 in Abuja. A further breakdown of the performance of the judiciary in the nation’s capital city shows that while the High Court successfully concluded 14, 969 cases out of a total of 19, 866 cases filed within the period with only 4, 897 cases still pending, the Magistrate Court, which received a total of 22, 195 cases successfully concluded 5, 756 cases before it. Also, the Abuja Multi-Door Courthouse (AMDC), which promotes alternative dispute resolution in Abuja, received 107 cases out of which it successfully concluded 54 with 53 pending. The judge further explained that while the Area Courts disposed of 3, 931 cases out of the 9071 cases it received during the period with 5, 140 cases still pending, the Sharia Court of Appeal received 37 cases out of which it concluded 26 leaving 11 pending. Justice Bello commended the federal government for its support in the completion of additional court divisions in Bwari and Gwagwalada areas of the FCT while the court in Nyanya is expected to be ready. He also expressed appreciation to international agencies for the assistance in the training of judges and staff of the court. In his remarks, the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Agada Elachi advocated for greater welfare and protection for judges, while calling for the revival of Bar-Bench Forum to bridge the gap in communication between lawyers and judges. “There is the urgent need to pay attention to the welfare of our judicial officers. Apart from improvement in remuneration, allowances and related benefits, an area where urgent action must be taken is as it relates to the accommodation needs of the judicial officers. The current situation where there is no security of accommodation needs to be reviewed,” he said.]]>