A human rights lawyer, Barrister Higher King, has said that politicians are to blame for the slow administration of justice in the country.
Barrister King, a human rights advocate, speaking on the slow administration of justice said that politicians were the problem and not the courts or the judges and magistrates.
He said that more judges, magistrates and courts would be needed to speed up the dispensation of justice in Nigeria.
Vice President Professor Yemi Osibanjo while declaring open this year’s Nigerian Bar Association conference on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari had said that there was the need to speed up the administration of justice.
The human rights advocate said that politicians in power have refused to increase the courts and employ more judges and magistrates.
Barrister King said: “I have been advocating for how the judiciary can speed up justice delivery in Nigeria and I have always blamed the politicians – not the judges, not lawyers, not litigants. We need political will to speed up justice (and) not by lip service. We lack courts, we lack Area Courts, we lack Customary Courts, we lack Court of Appeal, we lack Supreme Court (and) that is the problem”.
He said that since judges handle about thirty to fourty cases per day and magistrates about fifty cases per day it would be difficult for these law officers to ensure the prompt administration of justice.
The human rights advocate said that there was the need to employ more judges and magistrates and have more courts for the speedy dispensation of justice.
Citing the case of Rivers State, Barrister King said that there was need for each local government to have a high court, adding that court’s jurisdiction should also be increased.
He said that cases could not get prompt judgement because the judges and magistrates are saddled with too many cases.
The human rights advocate said: “They have refused to increase the courts. They have refused to employ judges (and) magistrates. You can imagine a situation where a judge is having fourty cases in one day (or) thirty cases in one day (and) magistrates having fifty cases in one day (and) even if they are all for mention you will see that justice cannot be dispensed”.
Barrister King said that the Supreme Court should be decentralized to speed up the dispensation of justice, saying that each of the six geopolitical zones should have a supreme court.
This was as he said that the appeal courts should also be decentralized to speed up the dispensation of justice.
