Felix Otaru, Lokoja
Kogi State Chief Judge, Justice Josiah Majebi has advocated for more attention to providing logistics for the Nigerian Correctional Service so as to boost criminal justice delivery.
Citing inability of Correctional Centers to provide transportation logistics for suspects to appear in courts as clog in Justice delivery, he said such was partly responsible for congestion of criminal cases in courts, delay and seeming ineffectiveness in criminal justice administration.
Justice Majebi made this observation when he received the new Comptroller of Correctional Service for Kogi State, Mrs. Hadiza Ina Aminu, who paid a familiarization visit to the Chief Judge at the Judiciary headquarters in Lokoja
The observation was premised on the discoveries made on the field from his recent decongestion exercise across Medium Correctional Centers located in the State.
He craved for more productive synergy among all stakeholders in the administration of justice saying the roles of the Judiciary and the Correctional Service is intertwined and must be made truly effective.
Justice Majebi urged the new Comptroller to reach out to the state government and other stakeholders to address challenges observed during his visit to correctional facilities across the State late last year.
While commending the Service for proper maintenance of facilities in the state, especially environmental cleanliness and coordination by its personnel, he thanked the Comptroller for the visit and assured that the judiciary would do whatever it can within its powers to always assist the Service in the state.
Earlier, Mrs. Aminu had asked the Chief Judge for collaborative support to overcome the problems being faced by her officers at the Correctional facilities which were enumerated during the decongestion exercise to include conveyance of Awaiting Trial Inmates to courts, upgrade of medical facilities, power and water supply as well as skills acquisition facilities among others.
The Comptroller who said her visit was to formally familiarize herself with the Chief Judge and the Judiciary with a view to strengthening existing relationship said it was also aimed at securing the Chief Judge’s and the Judiciary’s assurance of a tighter collaboration for her to achieve set goals in the state.
The Kogi state-born Comptroller who is the first female Correctional Service Comptroller in Kogi State thanked Justice Majebi for his admonitions, promising a smooth working relationship.
