By ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH

IKEJA – Speakers at the media roundtable on promoting ethics and integrity at magistrate courts, weekend, stressed the need for the promotion of ethics and integrity in Nigerian courts, especially at the magistrate level.

The programme, organised by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP,  in Lagos, had Femi  Falana, Olusola Akinbode, Babatunde Ogala and others as discussants.

Falana, in his contribution, said, Nigerians must be ready to protect the integrity of the courts as the last hope of  the common man by testing the law through the court whenever their rights were abused.

He noted that the magistrate court as a court of first instance has so much to do in the dispensation of justice and the protection of the rule of law.

Speakers, who spoke on  ethics and issue of integrity at the magistrate court, said attention should be shifted to other courts, especially customary courts, which they say abuse the rights of litigants, who appear before them.

They decried the poor working conditions of magistrates across the country and called on the government at all levels and the Judicial Service Commission to provide a more conducive atmosphere for magistrates to function optimally.

Mr. Olusola Akinbode of the Centre for Human Rights and Empowerment, Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, Executive Director, SERAP and Kirk Donahoe of the US Consulate, Lagos, former chairman of the law and human rights committee of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Babatunde Ogala, all noted the need for magistrate courts to be corrupt-free to deliver quality judgments for the common masses, who appear before them.

Mumuni said the programme was to generate ideas and suggestions on how the magistracy in Lagos State can be strengthened in the interest of better and efficient delivery of justice system to the majority of Nigerians.