Timothy Olanrewaju Maiduguri
Borno State has recorded 179 criminal cases within a year with 118 of the cases in various courts for trial.
Attorney General of the state, Kaka Shehu Lawan disclosed at a ministerial briefing yesterday in Maiduguri, that fewer civil cases were recorded within the period unlike criminal cases which increased compared to pre-insurgency era.
“A total of 179 criminal cases including homicide, murder, robbery, sexual gender-based violence among others,” he disclosed.
He said the governor granted pardon to 93 inmates at Correctional centres in the state amid COVID-19 pandemic based on the advice of the committee on prerogative of mercy. He explained that aside the measure to decongest the centres, the move was to ensure inmates who were qualified for pardon were granted mercy.
He said government employed 25 new lawyers as judicial officers to ensure speedy work in the ministry of Justice and other government legal departments.
He said this was necessary owing to the volume of work in the state justice ministry including drafting of legal documents, contract agreement with contractors handling various projects in the state. He said the ministry bonded 524 contract agreement in a year and drafted 14 executive bills including the state Geographical agency, public procurement and Sustainable and Humanitarian Agency among others.
Lawan who also handles the CJTF disclosed that many of the volunteers have been enlisted in the army and other security agencies after fulfilling prescribed requirements for their intake
He urged the people to be law abiding, adding that government would do everything within its powers to protect life and property.