Niger CJ expresses worries over manpower shortage in judiciary

Niger CJ expresses worries over manpower shortage in judiciary
By Aideloje Ojo, Minna
The Chief Judge of Niger state, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik has raised an alarm over acute shortage of manpower in the state’s judiciary, describing the situation as worrisome.
The CJ said the situation could lead to the collapse of the three arm of nothing was urgently done to revise anomaly.
The Chief Judge stated this on Monday at the special court session to mark the 2024/2025 legal year of the Niger State Judiciary.
She explained that in the last 17 years, only a total number of 103 personnel were employed in the whole judiciary despite the recorded deaths, retirements, dismissals, transfers resignation and terminations.
She said, “the resultant effect is that the junior cadre in the Judiciary has virtually diminished”.
Justice Abdulmalik rolled out statistics of the dearth of personnel in the Judiciary saying that, “in 2014 we had 696 staff of the lower cadre ( grade level 02 – 06) in the High Court division only, in 2019 the number dropped to 320, this year we have only 213 staff of the lower cadre in the same division “.
She said that from 2014 to date the staff strength has reduced by the difference of 483, adding that the same translates to magistrate cadre.
The Chief Judge explained that as at today, the Judiciary do not have Magistrates Grade 2, adding that out of 78 Magistrate Courts 13 are not having substantive presiding officers. She added that the same applies to the Shariah Division from where out of 101 Shariah Courts in the state 23 are without substantive presiding officers.
Meanwhile, the Chief Judge announced that the National Judicial Council ( NJC) has made provision for the appointment of four judges for the High Court and three kadis for the Shariah Court of Appeal in the state.