By Samuel Ogenyi, Uyo
The Court of Appeal has ended its outdoor sitting in Akwa Ibom State with lawyers from within the state applauding the proceedings and the rationale behind the programme.
The sitting which began last month lasted January for almost two weeks with the four justices of the Court of Appeal, Calabar as well as 62 support staff relocating to Akwa Ibom.
The outdoor sitting was necessitated by the need for special concentration on Court of Appeal cases of Akwa Ibom State extraction with record showing that cases of Akwa Ibom extraction account for seventy percent of the cases in the Court of Appeal, Calabar Division.
State Attorney General and Commissioner for justice Barr. Uwemedimo Nwoko affirmed that the agenda of establishing a Court of Appeal in Akwa Ibom state was part of the reason the state government was sponsoring regular outdoor sitting of the Court of Appeal in Uyo.
“It is to the credit of the present administration that they came last year and they are able to come again this year. It’s also to the credit of His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel who has provided the enabling environment.
According to him, the state government provideed the infrastructure, the accommodation and all the basic logistics for the Court of Appeal to function during the outdoor services.
The commissioner explained that it was important because during outdoor sittings, cases could be abridged so that as many cases as possible could be heard.
“It’s an investment that is worth it because it helps to galvanize the justice delivery system in the state being that when they come like this, they shorten the time within which parties take certain processes so that they can take as many cases as possible.
“For some of them, they can deliver judgments. Some will be taken back to Calabar where they will communicate the date for judgments. It goes a very long way to bringing Justice closer to the door step of Akwa Ibom people.” He said.
The culture of the outdoor sitting of the Court of Appeal, Calabar dated back to 2003 and it was designed to alleviate the burden of Court of Appeal litigants of Akwa Ibom state extraction, especially in the face of poor road network between Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State.
The Akwa Ibom State government under Mr Udom Emmanuel has made the practice more regular in order to help thousands of litigants who suffer the pains of plying bad roads and other challenges that breeds excruciating agony in the course of litigation and pursuit of justice.
During their two weeks stay, their lordships heard cases numbering more than hundred.
Lawyers who participated in the sitting expressed delight in the convention that saved them a lot of resources and energy vis a vis the predicament of heading to Cross River State for cases and advocated for the creation of a Court of Appeal in Uyo.
On the possibility of the creation of the Court of Appeal in Akwa Ibom State, Nwoko also expressed optimism, adding that the Akwa Ibom state government was ready to provide the needed infrastructure for the take off of a Court of Appeal in the State.
