The FCT Chief Judge, Justice Husseini Baba- Yusuf has signed practice direction and guidelines on trial of sexual and gender-based violence cases and ancillary procedure on application for protection order under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act.
Baba-Yusuf signed the practice direction on the sidelines of the ceremony making the 2022/2023 legal year.
He also appended his signature on the practice directions on small claims 2022.
Speaking, Baba Yusuf said they were carefully thought out practice directions to not only enable but also to enhance the workability of the VAPP Act and other related statutes in the Territory.
According to the CJ ,the small claims practice direction is to promote access to justice and speedy disposal of inexpensive, simple and small liquidated claims.
He said, In the past one year, the Court has witnessed an upsurge in the number of cases filed in its Registries.
” This is understandably so, considering the fast pace at which the Federal Capital Territory has continued to develop; and movement of people into the Federal Capital as a result of insecurity in some parts of the country.
” As a result, in the last one year, we have witnessed an increase in the number of civil and criminal cases filed in the High Court, the Magistrate Courts and the Customary Court of Appeal.
” As an institution, we shall continue to strive to meet the demands of Court users and the general public.
” As I salute my Brother Judges and Magistrates for rising to the occasion, toiling tirelessly in attending to cases assigned to them, despite the prevailing conditions under which they work;
” I continue to enjoin us to remain steadfast in the discharge of our duties of adjudication in meeting with the expectations of the society.
According to him, today’s world and tomorrow’s world will be regulated by Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
” It is therefore needless to restate that the time is now for the FCT Judiciary to fully embrace the electronic Court system in order to align our operations with contemporary international best practices and trends.
” I do recognize the efforts of my predecessors in office at setting up a system whereby litigants are enabled to file cases online; and for our Courts to be digitalized.
” However, in order to avoid the identified pitfalls of the past efforts at achieving this goal, we have begun collaborations with the International Certification for Digital Literacy (ICDL)in order to engender a sustainable digitalization of the FCT Judiciary” he said.
Similarly, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, commended the FCT judiciary in its efforts at efficient and timely dispensation of justice.
Malami noted that the intentional and strategic location of high courts all over FCT definitely led credence to the continued efforts by Baba Yusuf.
” This led credence at constituting and reconstituting top-notch delivery of judicial remedies by creating more efficient ways to dispensing timely justice.
” With 16 judicial divisions in FCT, what we have as the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory today is in fact a template of a strong, well respected and high institution that upholds the rule of law, service the public and safeguard the interest of the FCT communities.
” I am familiar with the volume of court processes filed at the High Court of FCT on weekly basis, this gave me the idea of the heavy assignments the judges are confronted with on daily basis.
” I assure you that government is ever ready to work with as well as support the judiciary to bring digital innovations to ease the enormous tasks of the courts” he said
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 8,831 cases were brought forward from 2020/21 legal year in the high courts.
7, 049 new cases were assigned in the course of the legal year, 4, 564 were dispensed with, 11, 316 are pending.
In the Magistrate courts, 4, 474 cases were brought forward, 10, 941 new cases assigned, 9, 988 cases were dispensed with while 5, 427 cases are pending.
