Bayelsa Advocates Expanding the Jurisdiction of the Magistrate Courts

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

It has been emphasized that in order to improve the delivery of justice throughout the nation, state governments must take the necessary steps to review and broaden the jurisdiction of their various magistracies.

This was said by Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the deputy governor of Bayelsa State, during his keynote address at the 2022 Magistrates’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) Conference opening ceremony in Yenagoa, the state capital.

He urged on the second tier of government to give magistrates a somewhat greater status as judicial officers like their senior counterparts on the higher bench, describing magistrate courts as the cornerstone of the Nigerian criminal justice system.

The deputy governor stated that the role of magistrates in the administration of criminal justice was too important and vital to be left as it is.

In order to accomplish this, he tasked state governments with reviewing current legislation in order to broaden the range and caliber of judicial services provided by magistrates in light of the nation’s current conditions.

Ewhrudjakpo emphasized that case hearings shouldn’t be excessively drawn out over time and argued forcefully for community service as an option in the nation’s criminal laws.

He claimed that the state administration was working diligently to improve the standard of magistrate welfare and associated concerns in the state.

To improve the swift administration of justice in the state, Ewhrudjakpo informed the state chapter of the Magistrates’ Association of Nigeria that the government will finish the Yenagoa magistrate’s court complex.

Hon. Justice Kate Abiri, the state’s chief judge, gave a speech during the ceremony in which she praised the state chapter of the association for making every effort to organize the conference.

While praising the Bayelsa State Government for caring for judicial officers in the state, Justice Abiri, who was represented by Justice Matilda Ayemieye, asked for the completion of the Magistrates Court Complex.

Mr. Biriyai Dambo (SAN), the state’s attorney general and commissioner for justice, advised the attendees to get the most out of the conference by describing the magistrate as a crucial component of the judiciary that keeps society’s fabric together.

In addition, Mr. Obiri Florizel, the chairman of MAN, Bayelsa State chapter, called for improved welfare and working conditions for magistrates in his welcome address. He noted that most legal disputes start at the magistrate courts due to the large number of criminal and civil cases they handle.