A-G Wants Nigerians To Patronise Customary Courts

The Attorney-General and
Commissioner for Justice in Enugu State, Mr Anthony Ani,has called on Nigerians to employ the services of the customary courts for quick justice delivery.
He made the call in Enugu last Monday at a workshop organised by the Women Information Network (WINET) for journalists on the utilisation of customary courts in the state.
Ani said the services of the customary courts were cheaper, closer to the people and more convenient.
He lamented that people with civil cases preferred filing them at the high courts, adding that it had contributed to the slow dispensation of justice.
“The problem we have in our justice system is lack of knowledge. We have about 142 customary courts in Enugu State which is the highest number of courts and they are in different local government areas. The services of the customary courts are relegated to the background. People prefer to take their cases to the higher courts but fail to understand that issues of customary laws need proofs at the higher courts. The customary courts have unlimited jurisdiction and it is cheaper in the sense that it is the only court you can appear without a lawyer,’’ the attorney general said.
He called on the Igbo to institute a codified customary law system to guide customary court judges in the quick dispensation of justice.
Ani said the government, in collaboration with the Department for International Department (DFID), was training judges in the state to equip them on effective service delivery.
In a keynote speech, the President of the Customary Court of Appeal in the state, Justice Victoria Nebo, listed cases handled by the customary courts to include matrimonial, civil as well as child custody cases.
Nebo, represented by Mr Tom Anyafulude, the Deputy Registrar of the Customary Court of Appeal in the state, assured the citizens of accurate and improved capacity building for judges to ensure adequate productivity.
On her part, the Executive Director of WINET, Mrs Miriam Menkiti, said the aim of the workshop was to build more awareness and reportage on customary court issues.
Some of the journalists who participated at the workshop said they were better enlightened on issues handled by the customary courts and their locations in the state.

L-R: Beneficiary, Mrs Susan Jideofor, head, Small Scale Enterprises, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Enugu, Mrs Nneka Onyeji and NDE State Coordinator, Mr Eke Iroegbu, at the NDE Micro Credit disbursement in Enugu, yesterday. Photo: NAN