Niger Chief Judge Abdulmalik warns Magistrates to stay away from cases not within their juridiction

The Chief Judge of Niger State, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik, has expressed her sadness over the way some Magistrates in the service of the Niger State Judiciary assumed Jurisdiction over some cases not within their jurisdiction.

She said the unprofessional conduct of the Magistrates have been a source of worry to her describing the act of such Magistrates as “disturbing and sad.”

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Justice Abdulmalik was speaking at the Minna Medium Security Custodial Centre during her ongoing statewide visit to the Custodial Centre to decongest the facilities.

The Chief Judge was speaking against the backdrop of a particular Chief Magistrate that assumed jurisdiction of a matter brought to her court by men of the Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps which she has no jurisdiction over.

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The defendant in the matter was arrested in Abuja by men of the Civil Defence Corps and arraigned in Minna Chief Magistrate Court.

The Chief Judge in her ongoing state visit to decongest the Custodial facilities discovered the wrongful incarceration of the inmate Gargada Haruna who has no reason to be in Custody in any custodial facility in Niger State.

The Chief Judge, upon her discovery of the incarceration of the inmates, flared up and talked tough, warning that she would not condone any unprofessional conduct from the Magistrate any longer.

According to the Chief Judge, the same conduct was exhibited by some Magistrates last year “ I have the cause to lambast the Magistrate last year”

She however, said she took responsibility for all the shortcomings of the Magistrates stating that as the head of the organisation she has to take the responsibility.

“I’m sad. It worries me because I’m the head of the Institution. As the head of the institution, I take responsibility for all the shortcomings of the actions of the Magistrates.

“Let me make this public this time. I have the cause to lambast a Magistrate on unprofessional conduct last year. I want you to reassign the case back to the Civil Defence without further delay” Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik aggressively declared.

However, the Chief Judge discharged one Adamu Abdullahi who has been languishing in Correctional Custody in the last four years without being taken to court.

She discharged for lack of proper and diligence prosecution from the both office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the Ministry of Justice and the legal department of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the Niger State Police Command

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