400 lawyers facing trial for professional misconduct – Delta CJ

The Delta State Chief Judge, Justice Marshall Umukoro has said
that over 400 lawyers were currently facing trial for various
offences which bothered on professional misconduct and its related
act.

Justice Umukoro who spoke to journalists yesterday in Asaba on
activities of this year’s, “Legal Year Celebration”, disclosed that
the State Judiciary was set to tackle the perennial challenges of
prison’s congestion in the state.

According to the State Chief Judge, modalities had been worked
out on reproducing inmate in courts, adding that as part of its
resolution reached at the recent meeting of stakeholders, it was
unanimous that the administration of justice delivery to articulate
problems confronting the speedy dispensation of justice in the
state, including finding ways of proffering plausible solutions
that will ameliorate the precarious situation.

Expectedly the stakeholders’ committee, Justice Umukoro said,
comprises the Chief Registrar, representatives of Prisons
authority, the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Bar Association, relevant
non-governmental organisations and department of state security
service that will be saddled with the responsibilities, among
others to synergise with the Nigeria Police aimed at fashioning out
arrangement that will provide logistics, particularly vehicles to
convey inmates to and from courts during sittings.

Umukoro however decried the worrisome situation where judges,
prosecution counsel, legal practitioners and registrars of courts
are ready to go on with trials, but cannot due to non-availability
of vehicles to produce inmates awaiting trials in courts, and
disclosed that as part of measures to tackle the problem head on,
criminal jurisdictions in the state would be increased, adding that
judges handling criminal cases have been directed to also sit in
Agbor, Owa-Oyibo and Umunede.

He said: “The forum advocated for the establishment of more
criminal jurisdictions in the state to decongest the courts of
cases. We have over 400 lawyers currently facing trial for
currently facing trial for various offences of professional
misconduct”. He cautioned lawyers to avoid meddling with clients’
money.

Meanwhile, activities to mark the official opening of the
2017/2018 legal year celebration in the state comes up Monday
November 13, 2017.

A statement from the office of the Chief Judge, Umukoro
indicated that as part of the activities marking the legal year
celebration, there will be a thanksgiving mass at the Emmanuel the
Saviour Catholic Church, High Court Road Asaba.

In another development, the chairman House Committee on
Environment, Oil and Gas, Mr. Daniel Yingi has charged the Ministry
of Environment to work towards opening more drains in the state to
check the perennial flooding as well as other environmental
issues.

The Lawmaker, who decried the low performance of environmental
sanitation in parts of the state, urged the ministry to step up
activities.

Mr. Yingi who was reacting on a media report on poor sanitation
in some parts of the state, expressed worry over the level of
environmental sanitation in the state and charged the ministry to
make good of its promise at making Delta State, one of the cleanest
states in Nigeria.

The Delta State Chief Judge, Justice Marshall Umukoro has said
that over 400 lawyers were currently facing trial for various
offences which bothered on professional misconduct and its related
act.

Justice Umukoro who spoke to journalists yesterday in Asaba on
activities of this year’s, “Legal Year Celebration”, disclosed that
the State Judiciary was set to tackle the perennial challenges of
prison’s congestion in the state.

According to the State Chief Judge, modalities had been worked
out on reproducing inmate in courts, adding that as part of its
resolution reached at the recent meeting of stakeholders, it was
unanimous that the administration of justice delivery to articulate
problems confronting the speedy dispensation of justice in the
state, including finding ways of proffering plausible solutions
that will ameliorate the precarious situation.

Expectedly the stakeholders’ committee, Justice Umukoro said,
comprises the Chief Registrar, representatives of Prisons
authority, the Nigeria Police, Nigerian Bar Association, relevant
non-governmental organisations and department of state security
service that will be saddled with the responsibilities, among
others to synergise with the Nigeria Police aimed at fashioning out
arrangement that will provide logistics, particularly vehicles to
convey inmates to and from courts during sittings.

Umukoro however decried the worrisome situation where judges,
prosecution counsel, legal practitioners and registrars of courts
are ready to go on with trials, but cannot due to non-availability
of vehicles to produce inmates awaiting trials in courts, and
disclosed that as part of measures to tackle the problem head on,
criminal jurisdictions in the state would be increased, adding that
judges handling criminal cases have been directed to also sit in
Agbor, Owa-Oyibo and Umunede.

He said: “The forum advocated for the establishment of more
criminal jurisdictions in the state to decongest the courts of
cases. We have over 400 lawyers currently facing trial for
currently facing trial for various offences of professional
misconduct”. He cautioned lawyers to avoid meddling with clients’
money.

Meanwhile, activities to mark the official opening of the
2017/2018 legal year celebration in the state comes up Monday
November 13, 2017.

A statement from the office of the Chief Judge, Umukoro
indicated that as part of the activities marking the legal year
celebration, there will be a thanksgiving mass at the Emmanuel the
Saviour Catholic Church, High Court Road Asaba.

In another development, the chairman House Committee on
Environment, Oil and Gas, Mr. Daniel Yingi has charged the Ministry
of Environment to work towards opening more drains in the state to
check the perennial flooding as well as other environmental
issues.

The Lawmaker, who decried the low performance of environmental
sanitation in parts of the state, urged the ministry to step up
activities.

Mr. Yingi who was reacting on a media report on poor sanitation
in some parts of the state, expressed worry over the level of
environmental sanitation in the state and charged the ministry to
make good of its promise at making Delta State, one of the cleanest
states in Nigeria.