Osun state governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has lent his voice to the call for establishment of a division of the Court of Appeal in the state to bring justice closer to the people.
Oyetola said this at the special session of the Court of Appeal, Akure Division, held at the state High Court in Osogbo.
The governor promised that the state government would do everything necessary to support the move to site an Appeal Court in Osogbo.
He described judiciary as a crucial arm of government and noted that the Court of Appeal remains a strong pillar of judicial and political expedition.
While speaking, the Chief Judge of Osun state, Justice Adepele Ojo said the special session was geared towards the facilitation of easy access to justice.
She said the establishment of a Division of the Court of Appeal in Osun would bring relief to the burden of many pending cases.
“Without prejudice to the present arrangement, I am persuaded, having considered the number of appeal cases said to be from Osun state and now pending before the Akure Division, the time has come for a Division of the Court of Appeal to be established in Osun state.
“Without equivocation, 250 cases pending before a court especially at the appellate level without more, is a workload sufficient enough for that court to worry about for the next 6 months, if not more.
“Permit me to say that if justice is not to be delayed and thus, denied, an immediate solution, such as the establishment of a Division of the Court of Appeal in Osogbo, Osun state ought to be proffered”, she stated.
Also, stakeholders in the judicial system particularly members of the Osun state chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and Senior Advocates of Nigeria, (SANs) as well as representatives of senior legal practitioners also demanded a Court of Appeal in Osogbo.
The chairman of NBA, Osogbo branch, Dele Ajibade also echoed the need for the establishment of the Appeal Court in Osogbo to enable lawyers in the state file their cases without travelling to Akure, Ondo state.
The Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Akure Judicial Division, Justice Oyebisi Omoleye promised to take the request for the establishment of the Court of Appeal in Osun to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa.
“In a very due course, we will bring to the attention of the President of the Court of Appeal the agitation for the establishment of a Judicial Division of the Court of Appeal in Osun state”, she said
Justice Omoleye who led the three other Judges: Justice Muhammed Danjuma; Justice Ridwan Abdullahi and Justice Patricia Ajuna Mahmoud, commended Governor Oyetola for his support for the judiciary.
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