Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, President of the Court of Appeal noted at the inaugural session in Lokoja that two regular and one Sharia panels would be involved.
“The two panels will sit over the 198 appeals consisting of 150 civil appeals and motions with 48 criminal appeals and motions and another panel of Justices will sit over the 11 Sharia Appeals,” she said.
Bulkachuwa said the team of judges was ready and capable of dealing with the cases expeditiously.
She, however, sought the understanding and cooperation of the leadership of Nigerian Bar Association in the state and members for the success of the outing.
“Let me use this medium to call on my brothers at the Bar to desist from filing frivolous applications or adopting measures that may cause unnecessary delay in proceedings.
“You may want to avoid frivolous briefs from clients no matter how lucrative they may seem.
“Try as much as possible to present your matters simply and briefly so that the court can have a smooth and successful session”, she said.
The Appeal Court President said the sitting was part of the on-going reforms to quicken dispensation of justice in the country.
Justice Nasir Ajanah, Chief Judge of Kogi, described the inaugural sitting of the appellate court in Lokoja as divine.
He said Almighty God had answered his silent prayers of making justice accessible to the people at minimal cost.
Ajanah, who was full of gratitude to Bulkachuwa, said the sitting had come to restore the confidence of the public in the judiciary.
He expressed hope that the step would be a precursor to the establishment of a division of the court in the state.
The Chief Judge further said the number of appeals from the state had made it imperative for the establishment of a division of the court in the state.
He said justice was only attainable if the cost and difficulty of attaining it was reduced to the barest minimum.
Mr Ibrahim Mohammed, the State Attorney-General re-echoed the call for establishment of the appeal court division, promising the State Government’s support to make it work.
On his part, Mr Liman Salihu, Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Lokoja branch said the sitting would assuage a lot of concern over the volume of pending appeals in the state.
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