Jubilation In Delta As Appeal Court Takes Off In Grand Style
LAGOS FEBRUARY 5TH (URHOBOTODAY)-There was jubilation in Delta State yesterday as the Asaba Division of the Court of Appeal took off in grand style with the President of the Court, Hon. Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, presiding over five cases in the absence of parties to the matters.
Out of the five suits before her, two were already matured for hearing, but were adjourned for further hearing due to some administrative errors.
The presiding judge, who symbolically faulted the title of the suit and its numbering, which was tagged: “Court of Appeal, Benin-City, Edo State,” for lacking in jurisdiction, maintained that the case file must be corrected to read Asaba Division of the appellate court.
The matters were thereafter adjourned indefinitely for the corrections to be effected.
Prior to the sitting, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa described the establishment of the court as “momentous, a new age in dispensation of justice in Nigeria and a milestone in the annals of Delta State, and for the legal profession.”
Justice Bulkachuwa, however, told the array of legal luminaries at the event, including the Presiding Judge of the Court of Appeal of Ilorin, his counterpart in Asaba, Hon. Justice Ndukwe Anyanwu, the Chief Judge of Delta State, Justice Marshal Umukoro; the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Peter Mrakpor, members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the mammoth crowd that the state had a long history of judicial experts, stressing that the temple of justice is of international standard.
“The court, as you can see is of international standard and we are happy to use it. I pray that it will operate under a peaceful atmosphere in accordance with our oath of office.
Judiciary will still be expanding for accessibility to justice, to reduce difficulties, cost of traveling and risk of life,” she said.
She said the establishment of the court in Asaba is the 17th Division in the country.