LAWYERS, judicial workers and other stakeholders in Plateau State have called for an overhaul of the states’ justice sector.

Speaking at a stakeholders interactive session in Jos, participants, called on the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Mr Simon Lalong to carry out a comprehensive, if he is elected.

The event was to have held last week but was postponed in honour of the victims of the twin bomb blast which claimed many lives in the state.

One minute silence was observed for the victims before the commencement of the programme.

Participants raised a lot of issues affecting justice delivery in the state including non payment of salary of judges and Magistrates, judicial workers, dilapidated court buildings, lack of courts rooms, the non issuance of Certificate of Occupancy to members of the public in the State in the last few years except the ones issued to members of the ruling family in the state. They decried the way and manner the current government in the state was run.

They urged Lalong to give them a breath of fresh air in the state if he was elected the governor of the state.

Lalong said he was aware of the challenges of the Justice sector and ready, willing and prepared to tackle them once given the mandate in the forthcoming elections.   He said that no Judge in Plateau State will trek or jump Okada and Keke when he becomes the governor of the state. Citing the Osun State model, Lalong promised to build more court rooms across the state.

He promised to adopt the Yemi Osinbajo and Babatunde Fashola approach to court development. He assured even and equal distribution of developmental projects across the state if elected its governor.

Mr. Titus Mann in a chat said: “ The interactive session was wonderful, it is the first of its kind in terms of people canvassing for elective positions in Plateau Sate, it has never happened that an aspirant gathered people like we saw to explain himself and seek their input into governance.

Input into governance

Lalong demonstrated a very deep understanding of the justice sector and its challenges. This event has shown that we have somebody who has taken his time to acquaint himself with the problems of the state and is ready to tackle them head on, I mean that we have never had it this way in Jos.”

On his part, Mr. Nankin Bagudu said: “ The state has suffered so much in terms of justice delivery, the justice sector is in a mess. In the past 16 years not a single court room has been built in Plateau State. We still operate the laws of Northern Nigeria, many courts in the rural areas of the state sit only once a week and in the rainy season they don’t sit at all. There is also the problem of corruption which compounds the whole thing, so, Lalong has a lot to do if he emerges.”