Covid-19: Govt readjust schedules as Kwara judges commence sitting, today
…six judges now to sit daily
By Mumini Abdulkareem
High Court judges in Kwara State will commence sitting on Monday (today) as the government has finally readjusted their sitting schedules.
The development is coming just as the government explore more options in the attempt to open all sectors in the state amidst the lockdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Although the court commenced operation last week Monday, the judges that will try the assigned cases will begin sitting on them from Monday (today), it was gathered.
The Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the state, Bar Salman Jawondo confirmed the development to Pilot Law in an exclusive chat weekend on the issue.
“The court has commenced since Monday but not fully. The only issue is that they have not been sitting because they have to start to dispatch hearing notices to people concerned. But they will start sitting next week and six High Court judges will be sitting per day.
“The only aspect that we are yet to finalise is how to respond to the interstate travel ban as some lawyers will have to come from other states to attend cases here”, he added.
According to the new arrangement exclusively obtained by Pilot Law and signed by the State Chief Judge, Suleiman Durosinlohun Kawu, “All court and administrative transactions should be between 9am-2pm daily.
Many lawyers in the state had lamented the negative impact of the Covid-19 on their practices adding that it has almost run some of them out of business.
Jawondo while reacting to the impact of the pandemic on the judicial sector in the state noted that it was unquantifiable.
“Since the lockdown the court has not been sitting which has a lot of implication for lawyers, judges and the infrastructures in the sectors can deteriorate if not put into use. If you have an arm of government that is completely grounded, it is better to imagine the devastating effect it will have on the state.
“The Covid-19 has seriously affected the economy of our colleagues in the bar, and though our judges still receive salaries whether they work or not but they are wasting away”, he submitted.
