NAN-H-20
Dressing
By Sunday John
Lafia, March 3, 2017 (NAN) Justice Suleiman Dikko, Chief Judge of Nasarawa State, has tasked court registrars and clerks to dress formally in line with the dressing code of the judiciary.
The Chief Judge made the call on Friday in Lafia at a sensitisation workshop organised for court registrars and clerks in the state.
“It is mandatory for all court staff, including registrars and court clerks to dress in suite, just like the dressing code of counsels.
“The supporting staff is the first set of people litigants meet when they come to the court before they meet the judge or magistrate.
“So, the supporting staff need to dress in an acceptable manner that depicts the dressing code of the judiciary,” the Chief Judge said.
He warned judicial staff to shun corrupt practices and ensure the integrity of the judiciary as the last hope of common man was maintained.
Dikko threatened to sanction any judicial staff caught indulging in corrupt practices and urged those involved to desist before they are caught.
He said he had received a lot of complaints that some staff, particularly in courts around Karu axis close to Abuja, were involved in fraudulent practices.
“We are receiving complaints from the court hierarchy from Abuja about the illegal activities of some of our staff from Karu because whatever you do there, concerns someone living in Abuja.
“Your activities are bringing disrepute to the judiciary in the state,” he said.
He warned judicial staff to stop asking for money before doing their work.
“Some area and magistrate courts even demand for up to N100 000 before they serve court orders,” he said.
He therefore said that the management would put machinery in motion in the areas mostly affected with a view to restore sanity in the system.
He said that the forum was organised to find a lasting solution to the lingering problems confronting justice administration in the state.
Also speaking, Mr Sunday Bawa, the Chief Registrar of the State’s High Court, said that henceforth, any judicial staff who failed to obey the dressing code would be sanctioned.
He also warned court registrars to obtain permission before auctioning items in the court to avoid abuse of the process.
Bawa urged registrars and other staff responsible for enforcement of court judgments to carry out their duties with sincerity of purpose. (NAN)
SDJ/OIF/WOJ
(Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo / Wale Ojetimi)