The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar on Monday in Abuja blamed the State Governors for judges’ poor conditions of service and the deplorable state of courts in the country just as she accused the governors of refusing to obey the constitution which they swore to uphold.
She however appealed to judges and magistrates in the country not to use the existence of these problems as a reason to perpetrate fraud or indulge in dishonest dealings and unwholesome conducts.
Speaking at the opening of the 2014 Conference of All Nigeria Judges of the Lower Courts organized by the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Justice Mukhtar said that she was aware that judges of the lower courts in many states were working under horrible and sordid conditions.
According to her, some magistrates sit in classroom blocks and village town halls.
She said: “Some customary and area courts sit in rented apartments. I am also aware that in some states, courts have been closed down due to political squabbles among politicians. I have heard of stories of magistrates being abducted and in many cases murdered by unknown persons due to lack of security. All these factors are so debilitating on the performance of judicial functions,” she said.
