NIGER NBA APPEAL TO GOVERNOR UMAR BAGO TO PROVIDE OFFICIALS VEHICLES TO MAGISTRATES
UTHMAN BABA- SIRAJDEEN
Magistrates and Nigeria Bar Association in Niger state has appealed to governor Umar Mohammed Bago to as a matter of urgency provide Magistrates with official vehicles to stem the use commercial vehicles which sometimes have litigants and defendants standing trial in their courts as occupants.
The Magistrates who resides in Minna but have their courts outside the state capital have to cope with traveling in commercial vehicles sometimes along with litigants and defendants standing trial on Criminal related cases in their court.
Our Correspondent gathered that Magistrate in some other states like Nasarawa, Kebbi, Kogi, FCT and Zamfara states were all provided with official vehicles by their respective states governors to ease their movement to their stations.
Recently an Unpleasant scenario played out were three Magistrate boarded commercial vehicles along with some suspected criminals who are being tried by one of the Magistrate in the state.
One of the Magistrate who pleaded for anonymity told our Correspondent that” My self and two of my colleagues boarded the same commercial vehicle and met with a suspect that was arraigned in my court . He was able to recognize me as the Magistrate that tried him but didn’t say anything, I wasn’t comfortable throughout the Journey but there was nothing I could do”
Our Correspondent report that the immediate past governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello had donated thirty seven numbers of peugeot saloon cars to some Magistrates and Shariah Court Judges in 2021 with a promise to complete the remaining vehicles to those that were not given.
Also the Chief Judge of Niger State Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik had during the 2023 legal year drawn the attention of governor Mohammed Umar Bago to the same issue reminding him of the need for additional vehicles for Magistrate court judges.
In her words ” Your Excellency, I want to use this forum to remind you to provide us with the remaining vehicles. It will interest you to note that some of the Magistrates enter Public transport along with litigants appearing in their court which is not too good.”
Speaking in a telephone interview with our Correspondent on Thursday in Minna, the chairman Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Minna Branch Barrister Abdulkadir Mohammed Waziri, described the plight of the Magistrates boarding Public transport along with litigants is not dignifying at all owing to their position.
” Magistrates in other parts of the country were provided with vehicles but our Magistrates In Niger State enter Public transport with suspects that appear in their courts which is very dangerous to the Magistrate.
” I’m appealing to both the Niger Chief Judge and the governor of Niger State to as a matter of necessity provide them with a vehicle to safeguard their lives” he asserted.
