Kaduna swears in acting CJ, to recruit more judicial officers

The Kaduna State Government has granted approval for the appointment of 40 magistrates as it is set to increase the number of judicial officers in the state.

A statement by Mr. Samuel Aruwan, spokesman to the state governor, quoted Governor Nasir El-Rufai as saying during the swearing-in ceremony of the new acting chief judge of the state, Justice Muhammadu Lawal Bello, that the recruitment of more judicial officers would reduce the work-load of judges in the state.

El-Rufai said so far, his administration had recruited 70 new lawyers into the Ministry of Justice while the state government has granted approval to hire 40 new magistrates.

“We urge the acting Chief Judge to expedite this recruitment, in compliance with due process and in concert with the Judicial Service Commission.

He said his administration had “received recognition for timely resolution of commercial disputes and enforcement of contracts in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business ranking “, saying state would benefit if it can also fast track the conclusion of criminal cases.

The governor said his administration was aware that there were no enough judges in the judiciary “and this results in the ones we have being over worked and promised to work with the judiciary towards remedying the situation.

He said his government had proposed a legislation to expand the jurisdiction of magistrates to determine matters involving monetary claims of up to N5 million, adding that “our magistrates are currently restricted to cases not above N500,000.”