By Samuel Oyadongha

YENAGOA—THE Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, Rivers State, yesterday, began a two-week special session in Bayelsa State as part of efforts to clear the backlog of appeals from  the various jurisdictions and judicial divisions pending before it.

The special session, which is the fourth of such in the state, is being led by the presiding justice, Justice A.B. Gumel.

The division of the appellate court is expected to preside over many pending appeals in the state for two weeks.

The state is said to constitute 35 percent of the over 3,000 pending appeals before the appellate court.

Aside the Justices of the Court of Appeal, the inaugural session also had in attendance the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Justice Kate Abiri; Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Mr. Kemasuode Wodu; Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Yenagoa branch, Mr. Eric Derie; judges in the state, Senior Advocates of Nigeria and others.

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Speaking at the event, the state Chief Judge, Justice Abiri requested for a division of the court to be established in Yenagoa.

According to her, a division of the Court of Appeal in Yenagoa will minimise the cost of litigation as the court will  be within 500 metres of the trial courts in the state such as the state High Court, the Federal High Court and the National Industrial Court.

She added that the goal of the nation’s judiciary in the area of access to justice and quick dispensation of justice will also  be achieved.

In his remark, the state’s Attorney General, Wodu Kemasuode, also called for the establishment of the Court of Appeal in the state, noting that Bayelsa State is largely riverine and that sitting a division in Yenagoa will save cost to the litigants both in terms of time, money and efforts for them to attend to matters in Port Harcourt.

‘’We therefore,  call on the President of the Court of Appeal to establish a division of the court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State to deal with the several hundreds of appeals pending before the appellate court emanating from the state.

‘’Governor Seriake Dickson, working with the Chief Judge, is willing and ready to provide the necessary facilities for the sitting of the Court of Appeal in Yenagoa, including court halls and residential accommodation for the justices.’’

In his address, Justice Gumel urged lawyers to seize the opportunity of the sitting in Bayelsa State to prove their cases.

On the request for the establishment of Yenagoa division of the Court of Appeal, he said it was not within their powers to do so.

He, however, said if their opinions were sought, they will make positive recommendations for the sitting of a division in the state.

He stated, ‘’I wish to point out that it is not within our competence to comment on the request for the building of Court of Appeal here (Bayelsa).

“But if our opinion matters in that regard, I will assure you that we will make the best of positive recommendations.

‘’In the interim, there has always been this adhoc arrangement for Court of Appeal to sit in some states in some agreed months to hear some pending cases. This option can also be sought by the state.’’