The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Imo State, Barr. Cyprian Akaolisa, on Friday said the government has approved collaboration with the Hague Institute for innovation of law in Switzerland to establish a community justice system in the state.
Akaolisa disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri, on the plans by his ministry to accelerate justice delivery system in the state.
He said three council areas in Imo, have been approved as pilot centres.
Explaining the moves, the commissioner said: “The Foreign Establishment in collaboration with the state government had approved a “Community Justices Centre” for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in every community in the state which would be centred at the palace of the traditional ruler of a such community.
“We will start pilot centres with one in each council area as part of our effort to quicken legal services delivery. Although the state government is asking for 27 of such centres, but only 3 had been approved for now which would assist in the administration of Justice at the grassroots.
“The measure would be an innovation for the people to settle their problems at their local government councils with a legal expert at hand for this, stressing that it would be a full legal framework for Justice administration at the local government level.
“Before the year ends, the state would no longer be quoting the laws of the defunct Eastern Nigeria which would be turned into a “law of Imo State and which would also become criminal code law of Imo State after it might have been passed into law by the state House of Assembly.”
He also added: “With 21 newly engaged prosecutors currently assisting in the prosecution of cases in the state, the Attorney General said that the state government is taking steps to resolve all legal cases pending against her in the court including those of contractual obligations through “out of court settlement” and by means of her Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism.”
Vanguard