NBA demands for appeal court in Kogi

THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Kogi state on Wednesday asked the President of the Court of Appeal to establish a division of the court in Lokoja, the state capital.

The chairman of the committee on the establishment of court of appeal in the state, Emmanuel Haruna, made the submission during the visit to the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Nasir Ajanah, along with the four branches of the NBA in the stat be, namely Lokoja, Okene, Kabba and Idah,

He said the setting up of an appellate court in Lokoja was long overdue as about 50 percent of the cases being handled by the Abuja division of the appeal court were from Kogi state.

According to him, Kogi state that was created about 26 years ago was yet to have an appeal court, while states like Ekiti created five years after Kogi already had an appeal court.

He regretted that many of their members and clients always face hardship and stress, adding that many waste resources only to discover that their cases are not listed for mentioning.

Haruna disclosed that the committee had met with the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, urging the Chief Judge to intervene and ensure the establishment of the court in the state.

The Chief Judge however said he had been working on the issue before the advent of the present administration in the state.

Ajanah said he had met with the President of the Court of Appeal who had listed some of the conditions that the state must meet before the appellate court can be established in the state.

He said the state had been asked to provide a befitting court room and accommodation for the judges to be posted to the state.

He however promised to take up the issues with the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, urging the committee to also take their demands to the president of the appeal court.