The Nasarawa State Government has reduced the period for legal advice on high-profile cases from 40 days or more to seven days to ensure speedy justice delivery.
The State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General (AG), Isaac Danladi, made this known on Monday in Lafia during the monthly ministerial briefing for heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
The monthly briefing was organised by Ibrahim Tanko, the Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, to enable heads of MDAs to showcase their achievements.
Mr Danladi said that the administration of Gov. Abdullahi Sule considers an efficient justice system as a pillar of good governance, economic growth, and public trust.
He said that before now, files had to be presented to different directors for their inputs, thereby causing undue delays in the justice system.
He said that the ministry had now streamlined the process, assigning legal advice to the Director of Public Prosecutions to ensure that justice is dispensed swiftly, fairly, and without undue delay.
The commissioner said that the government, through the Ministry of Justice, had strengthened the capacity of state counsels to prosecute offenders in various courts across the state and the country.
He said that the ministry has over 70 lawyers working hard daily to prosecute cases on behalf of the state.
The AG further said that the government had harmonised the salaries and allowances of state counsels, making them among the highest paid currently in the country.
βWe have also simplified the process of legal advice and reduced the period for legal advice on high-profile cases by the Director of Legal Prosecution from about 40 days to just seven days.
βWe did this because we recognised that delays in adjudication erode confidence in the rule of law, discourage investment, and leave victims and defendants in prolonged uncertainty,β he said.
Mr Danladi said that the government was working closely with the state judiciary, the police, the correctional service, and the Nigerian Bar Association to unblock bottlenecks in the criminal and civil justice chains.
He said that the Governor Abdullahi Sule-led administration was committed to decongesting correctional facilities, which is why it has continued to grant pardons to inmates from time to time, in line with the law.
Speaking, Mr Tanko said that the ministry has created many avenues, including the ministerial briefing, to enlighten, educate, and inform the public about the policies, programmes, and projects undertaken by the present administration.
He promised to sustain the enlightenment campaign and to visit project sites to enable the public to see for themselves the various projects carried out by the government in different areas.
Mr Tanko urged the people to believe in the justice system and advised against self-help, but to report their cases to the courts or the alternative dispute resolution system available in the state for redress.
He said that the government has high regard for the rule of law and would continue to support reforms aimed at strengthening justice administration in the state.
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