Nasarawa State House of Assembly yesterday passed into law a bill to amend the Area Courts Law 1968 which allowed lawyers appearance and the appointment of only graduates of law as Area Court judges in the state.
Speaker Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, who disclosed the passage of the bill into law in Lafia, said the new law also abolished the composition of three panels of judges in the Area courts.
Abdullahi, who is the sponsor of the bill, said the new law would also tackle the bottlenecks in ensuring the administration of justice in the state and the country at large, “No legal practitioner shall be barred from appearing to act for or assist any party in any civil proceedings before an Area Court in Nasarawa state.”
“The importance of lawyer’s appearances in court cannot be over-emphasized to the administration of justice in the country, The age long law banning lawyers from appearing in Area Courts and/the composition of three panels of judges has now be abolished and the appointment of only graduates of law as Area Court judges is necessary.”
The house also screened and confirmed Messers Muhammed Ayitogo and Nuhu Ismaila as Interim Management Committee Chairmen of Keana and Keffi local government areas of the state respectively.
