The attorney general and commissioner for justice in Gombe State, Zubairu Muhammadu Umar has indicted personnel of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) and the police for indulging in schemes inimical to justice delivery in the state.
“We have some challenges with the prisons such that sometimes, you will discover that suspects are not taken to court at good time or not taken to court at all,” Umar said.
Umar told newsmen in his office that aside the High Court, “all other courts in Gombe are in dilapidated form, they are eyesore.”
Aside the wardens, Umar also indicted the police for allegedly frustrating justice delivery in the state.
According to him, “Sometimes, the police in Gombe metropolis thwart our efforts because of our decision in the ministry of justice to take over the prosecution of cases before magistrate courts in the township.
“Some officers of the police are not happy with that and decided to create some hurdles on our path,” he alleged.
He, however, expressed hopes that “we will soon get over it,” lamenting the poor condition of over 100 area courts in the state.
He said each of the neglected courts could be renovated and furnished with just N1m.
He regretted that, “nobody will visit any of our courts aside High Court, and have respect for us or the state.”
He recalled that since the creation of the state, “all successive governments had abandoned the state of our area courts.
“If they had shown concern, we wouldn’t the situation would be where we are now. If they had taken on at least two courts a year, all our courts will be in better shape now.
“Go and see for yourself, in fact, if I knew this parley will touch it, I would have asked somebody to snap some courts for you to see the terrible condition of our courts in Gombe.”
He disclosed that Governor Inuwa Yahaya had discussed with the acting chief judge to present him with a template of the desired court premises.
“Though the state does not have the financial muscles to build new courts, the governor had asked the Acting Chief Judge to make up with a template of a good Court premises,” Umar said.
“He has agreed that quarterly if not yearly, the state will be attending to at least three area court’ renovation.”
Stating that the ministry was able to prosecute and dispose over 100 criminal cases in 2020, the commissioner regretted that the Nigeria Prison Service at times frustrated the efforts of his ministry to pursue cases to conclusion by not bringing suspects to court on time or not bringing him at all.
