By Festus Ahon

ASABA- DELTA State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Peter Mrakpor, has charged lawyers in the country, especially those practicing in the state to partner government in its fight against all forms of criminality.

Mrakpor who gave the charge when members of the Asaba, Effurun and Udu branches of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, paid him separate courtesy visits, restated the government’s resolve to partner NBA in ensuring that the state was conducive for investment to strive by promoting the rule of law and good governance in an atmosphere of peace and security.

He said that the ministry under his watch would partner the NBA particularly in the area of public enlightenment and sensitization of youths in the society against the resort to criminality, youth restiveness and other social vices which have the effect of chasing away investors from the state.

Decrying the increasing numbers of rape cases, defilement and cultism in parts of the state, he assured members of the Bar of the Senator Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration decision to bequeath a just, credible, efficient and fast justice delivery sector through the various legal reforms already embarked upon.

On the ongoing capacity building and computerization programme in the Ministry of Justice where over 250 laptops have been distributed to legal officers equipped with the standard electronic tool for research known as Law Pavilion, Mrakpor said that the computerization process would be completed in 2017.

He vowed not to relent in his commitment to increase the quality of criminal law practice and also sustain the capacity building efforts so that lawyers in the Ministry of Justice could compete favourably with their colleagues in the private law practice.