Gombe lawyers cry out over relocation of Appeal Court to Maiduguri
The Nigerian Bar Association, Gombe branch, rose from a virtual emergency meeting on Tuesday with an appeal to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairperson, National Judicial Council to consider some adjustments in the recent relocation of the Gombe division of the Court of Appeal to Maiduguri.
According to a release co-signed at the end of the meeting by the branch chairman, Benjamin Sati and the secretary, Abdulmutallib Babawuro, the meeting, which deliberated on a sole agenda, reached some resolutions, including writing to the Chief Justice “on the compelling need and necessity to seek refuge under the canopy of His Lordship’s sense of justice and that of the National Judicial Council, to assist the branch and intervene in the re-opening of the Gombe Division of the Court of Appeal which has just been closed barely three (3) months now without any security threat in Gombe State following the establishment of the new Division of the Court in Maiduguri, Borno State and the immediate transfer of all pending appeals in Gombe Division to the Maiduguri Division of the Court.”
The branch asserted that it is “not averse to the creation of the Maiduguri Division of the Court of Appeal especially, considering the distance and the security risks involved on the road for the litigants and legal practitioners that hitherto had to travel to conduct their cases here in Gombe Division, the branch however wish to suggest that a panel should be retained in Gombe Division to handle the pending appeals and forestall the high security risk on the litigants and legal practitioners who now have to travel from other parts of the country to Maiduguri, Borno State to conduct their appeals which ordinarily should have been in Gombe Division. Recently, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Borno State was on record when he raised serious security concerns about resurgence of the dreaded Boko Haram in the State. The branch therefore, view that such security concerns that bedevil the Borno and Yobe States for more than a decade which has now become a recurrent decimal, should not be glossed over. Besides, no such security concern ever reported in Gombe State, and this therefore, look difficult to appreciate the rational and justification in closing the Court of Appeal, Gombe Division without any similar situation with that of Awka Division of the Court closed together.”
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The meeting also noted that “from the available statistics in the record of the Court, the pending cases in the Court of Appeal Gombe Division which comprises appeals emanating from Gombe, Yobe and Borno States, Gombe State presently, stands out with the highest number of cases and even more than that of Yobe and Borno States put together. For ease of reference, here is the illustration of the data presently available in the Court, to wit:
APPEALS
1 Gombe 88
2 Yobe 6
3 Borno 23
MOTIONS
1 Gombe 41
2 Yobe 6
3 Borno 30
The branch said the data is available at the registry of the Court for verification with all their appeals and motion numbers.
The meeting equally noted that “The branch needs to place it on record that the Court of Appeal Gombe Division which was created since the year 2020 already has well functional office accommodations and staff quarters all built and donated to the Court courtesy of the Gombe State Government as well as four (4) permanent residential quarters for the Justices completed by the Court of Appeal itself. The Division has been active since inception with behest of activities and with lawyers and litigants coming from all across the country.
“Therefore, the branch resolved to demand for justice on this matter because the pending appeals from Gombe Division which constitute the chunk of all appeals now transferred to Maiduguri Division are left unattended. The branch resolved to boycott the sitting of the Court in Maiduguri on ground of insecurity along the Gombe – Maiduguri roads as it beseechs for fairness to allow it have the Gombe Division re-opened for the business of the Court to flourish.
“The branch call upon the executive Governor of Gombe State to wade into this matter and urge the state to continue to do more in terms of enabling environment for the federal institutions cited in the state to continue to wax stronger.
The branch finally said it “appreciates the NJC’s giant reforms currently taking place in the judicial architecture of this country, and the contribution of all other stakeholders in the justice sector for the good of the society.”
