Nasarawa State House of Assembly has given a 10-year ultimatum to Judges of Area Courts in the state who have been practicing without a degree in Law to obtain the qualification for effective judicial service delivery in the state or stand a risk of losing their jobs.
Mr. Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi, the Speaker of the House handed down the warning while deliberating on the report of the House Standing Committee on Judiciary, Ethics and Privileges on a “Bill For a Law to Amend the Nasarawa State Area Courts Law 2022 and for Other Matters Related Therewith” during the proceeding in Lafia, the state capital on Wednesday.
He explained that the proposed amendment to the bill came as a result of the implementation of the principal law passed in 2022.
He said: “Going by the principal law, if it is to be implemented, it will lay off some staff of the Judiciary, for fear of this, the need to amend the principal law.
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“The principal law provides that for one to be a judge of the Upper Area Court, one must be a legal practitioner with at least four years post-call.
“And for one to be a judge of an Area Court, you must be a legal practitioner with at least three years post-call.
“The committee is of strong recommendation that a window period of 10 years to be granted to the affected staff to enroll into a degree programme of Law in order to be called to bar for them to fit in.”
