Anambra High Courts Dispose 3,585 Cases

No fewer than 3,585 cases
were cleared in Anambra State High Courts in the 2012/2013 legal year ended.
The Chief Judge of Anambra, Justice Peter Umeadi, who made the disclosure at a special court session to mark the 2013/2014 legal year in Awka on Monday, said that 33, 816 cases were filed in the high court.
He said the Customary Courts of Appeal disposed of 54 cases, Magistrate’s Courts 7,550 of the 34,136 filed cases, while the Customary Courts disposed 1,590 out of the 1,967 filed cases.
The chief judge said the court generated N93.7 million during the period under review noting however, that the state magistrates were the lowest paid in the South-East zone of the country.
“It is not a happy situation that our learned magistrates have the lowest take home pay in the South-East zone of the country,’’ he said.
He said most of the magistrates employed in 2011 had no official cars and commended the workers for maintaining industrial peace and harmony since 2011 when he became the chief judge.
According to him, the work place environment has improved and office equipment upgraded to facilitate quick dispensation of justice.
“The judiciary of Anambra is proud to announce that corruption has been drastically reduced in the probate registry. “I assure the judiciary workforce and magistrates that we will continue to fight your battle while yours is to continue to abide by ethics and rules of conduct regulating judicial officers. “The ethics and rules stipulate impeccable behaviours at all times,” he said.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the six branches of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr Ogochukwu Okeke, commended the chief judge for rehabilitating high court halls in some jurisdictions.
Okeke also said that the creation of a website for the state judiciary and an ICT unit were notable innovations and achievements of the chief judge.