Bauchi State Governor orders procurement of official vehicles for Magistrates
By, Muslim Lawal
Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has directed the immediate commencement of arrangements for the procurement of official vehicles for magistrates across the state to improve their working conditions and ensure effective administration of justice.
Governor Bala Mohammed gave the directive while speaking at the commencement of the 2026/2027 Legal Year Ceremony held at the Bauchi State Court Complex in Bauchi.
He expressed concern over the situation where magistrates travel to their respective courts using commercial vehicles alongside litigants, describing the practice as inappropriate for their status and a potential security risk.
Governor Bala Mohammed also directed the Head of Service, Commissioner for Finance, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, as well as the management of the judiciary, to urgently develop a realistic and sustainable salary and allowances package for magistrates and Sharia Court judges in line with prevailing judicial remuneration structures in other states.
He assured the judiciary that his administration would continue to sustain the release of monthly running costs while acknowledging the need to balance available government resources among competing responsibilities.
The Governor further called for accelerated completion of ongoing Magistrate Court projects, particularly the two Magistrate Court complexes, while reaffirming his administration’s commitment to judicial independence.
He urged judicial officers to remain the last hope of the common man and dispense justice without fear, favour, affection or ill will, assuring them that the executive would not interfere in their judicial responsibilities.
Earlier, the State Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar, disclosed that the judiciary was proposing additional High Court divisions in Ningi, Misau, Toro and Azare to address increasing caseloads and improve access to justice across the three senatorial districts.
She explained that the High Court division in Azare was experiencing significant pressure, sometimes handling as many as 38 cases on its cause list in a single day, a situation that necessitated the deployment of a senior judge and the constitution of two separate appeal panels to reduce the backlog.
Justice Umar also disclosed that the judiciary collected and remitted sixty six million, five hundred and seventy four million, fifty one thousand fifty five kobo to the state government through fees, fines and probate charges generated by the High Court and Magistrate Courts.
She announced plans to establish a multi-door courthouse to provide alternative dispute resolution and arbitration services, urging residents to explore alternative mechanisms for settling disputes to reduce pressure on conventional courts.
The Chief Judge commended Governor Bala Mohammed for supporting the judiciary, highlighting the completion and furnishing of the new Magistrate Court Complex, renovation of the High Court judge’s residence in Azare and the ongoing construction of the twin Magistrate Court complex in the state capital, which she said was 90 per cent completed.
In his address, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Hassan Eliyakub, SAN, announced that the Ministry of Justice had recruited 10 additional state counsel, bringing the total number recruited through the recent exercises to 20.
He disclosed that the ministry received 662 criminal cases during the period under review, out of which 201 had been disposed of, while 412 remained pending before the High Court and 26 were at the legal advice stage.
The Attorney General further revealed that the ministry vetted 219 contracts and memoranda of understanding, generating approximately N466.8 million, which had been remitted to the state treasury.
He also announced that all outstanding judgment debts against the state government had been fully settled, while 21 bills and statutory instruments were vetted and drafted during the year.
Hassan Elyakub added that laws and executive orders issued under the present administration between 2019 and April 2026 had been gazetted and distributed to relevant government institutions and members of the public.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Bauchi Branch, Barrister Rabi’u Garba, called for full implementation of the constitutional financial autonomy of the judiciary and improved welfare for judicial officers, particularly magistrates and Sharia Court judges.
He described the working conditions of some lower court judicial officers as inadequate, citing dilapidated court buildings, lack of official vehicles, poor accommodation and insufficient operational facilities.
Rabi’u Garba proposed the establishment of a Special Magistracy and Lower Courts Welfare and Infrastructure Fund to address the challenges and announced plans by the NBA to reactivate its Ethics and Privileges Committee and organize compulsory professional ethics seminars to address misconduct among legal practitioners.
