Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has made a case for the creation of the Ogun Division of the Court of Appeal to facilitate swift justice delivery in the state.
He made the request during a meeting with the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, on Wednesday.
According to Governor Abiodun, the establishment of the Ogun Division would alleviate the workload of judges in the Ibadan Division, ensuring more efficient and timely dispensation of justice for the people of Ogun State.
“My plea is that this initiative that you have resuscitated, perhaps we can have it repeated periodically and this will be as a precursor to the request that we made sometimes in 2020 when I wrote to the then President asking that he should please consider setting up the Ogun State Division of the Court of Appeal and I think that request is strengthened by your trip here because you also alluded to the fact that when you were in Ibadan Division, most cases were from Ogun State,” he said.
The governor, who commended the Appeal Court President for working tirelessly to ensure quick disposition of appeals in all the divisions through her “decongestion initiative”, noted that this would lead to efficient justice delivery system in the country, as justice delayed is justice denied.
“I want to thank you and as you have mentioned in your remarks that you have slated about 150 cases to be heard and concluded in the scheme, made up of 10 panels, I believe what this will do is that it will strengthens social order.
“I am sure that will span between criminal, commercial and civil cases and this will immediately unlock enterprises and commercial activities and strengthens social order that otherwise would have been stopped because of the dragging of the cases for many years,” the governor said.
He noted that his administration has carried out several reforms aimed at repositioning the justice system, including the implementation of the Multi Court House Scheme, as well as the appointment of 22 judges in the state.
Abiodun appreciated members of the state judiciary led by Hon. Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu for their support, especially in setting up the special court that handles cultism related cases, positing that this has helped in ensuring that justice is done in a timely manner.
Speaking earlier, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem said her visit to the Ibadan Division was to decongest appeal cases that had been dragging due to lack of time, occasioned by election and commercial appeals.
Justice Dongban-Mensem disclosed that the Division has one of the highest work loads of all the divisions of the Courts of Appeal and this is made worse by the depletion of judges as a result of posting, promotion, retirement or death.
The Appeal Court President regretted that the Ibadan Division of the court, which had two divisions in the past, was reduced to one, hence the current workload, assuring that something would be done to address the imbalance.
She commended the Abiodun-led administration for the transformation taking place in the state and for carrying the state judiciary along in the scheme of things.
This move is aimed at enhancing access to justice and reducing the burden on the existing Court of Appeal division in Ibadan, which currently serves Ogun and other neighboring states.
