Kwara Chief Judge Sets Up Committee To Probe Alleged Abuse Of Processes In Magistrate, Area Courts

The Kwara State judiciary through the Honourable Chief Judge has constituted a committee to investigate the alleged abuse of processes perpetrated by some lower courts in the state.

This was contained in a letter written from the office of Deputy Registrar, Litigation Section signed by Jibril Bio Salihu (Secretary to the committee) addressed to the Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association, Ilorin Branch.

According to the letter, some Area Courts and Magistrates in the state have been alleged of illegally issuing Direct Criminal Complaints.

The letter reads: “The Honourable Chief Judge of Kwara State has set up a committee to look into complaints against the Magistrate and Area Courts. Some of the terms of reference that the committee is to consider are:-

“1 For the committee to look into the improper use of power of Direct Criminal Complaints and make recommendations to salvage the situation

“2 Any other relevant issue(s) that will bring sanity to the operation and performance of the lower court judges in the day to day discharge of their duties

“We most humbly request that your association send in its contribution as it relates to the said terms of reference latest by Friday, the 3rd day of November, 2023.”

In recent time, Kwara courts have been accused of abusing court processes in their dealing with litigants.
For instance, Adedamola Solesi, a lawyer representing Adegbola Abdulazeez, a remanded Isese (indigenous religion) practitioner and activist, said his client could not get justice in the state.

Mr Solesi, who said this in September after the hearing of his client’s bail application at the Kwara State Chief Magistrate Court, lamented that the manner by which trial judges and security operatives in the state had handled Tani Olohun’s case indicated that the judiciary and the police had been compromised.