Chief Judge of Niger, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik has announced the temporary relocation of Lapai High Court to the Chief Magistrate Court complex in Lapai.
The Chief Judge made the announcement of the relocation of the court in a press statement issued by the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, Hajiya Amina Lamide Musa, and made available to Journalists in Minna, over the weekend.
She explained that the relocation was a result of the ongoing renovation work at the High Court.
The statement further directed members of the public and counsels to Channel their litigation and other necessary processes for prompt judicial and administrative action.
The Lapai High Court has been in deplorable condition for the past 10 years, as the ceiling board and entire building were almost falling forcing the workers to take refuge elsewhere whenever it rains especially during the wet seasons.
Apart from the ceiling, the rooftop and toilet facilities were begging for repairs, and the judge’s chamber as well as the office of the registrar were not even habitable, emphasizing that apparently worried by the inhabitable condition of the court building, State ‘ Chief Judge, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik swiftly relocated the Court to the temporary office of the Lapai Magistrate Court for speedy administration of justice.
In an interview by telephone with the Nigerian Tribune in Minna over the weekend, the Chief Registrar of the state High Court, Hajiya Amina Lamide Musa explained that the Chief Judge had directed for the immediate relocation of the High Court during an inspection visit to the Court.
She said during the visit, the Chief Judge allegedly discovered that the deplorable condition of the court would not be convenient for the staff to perform their duty effectively, which informed her decision to relocate to Lapai Magistrate court.
She explained further that arrangements were on ground to commence the renovation of the Court, But argued that for now, the Court has to be relocated pending the completion of the renovation work.
She however stated that she could not remember when the Lapai High Court was constructed, just as the Nigerian Tribune gathered that the Court was said to have been constructed some 19 years ago, while successive leadership of the state’s judiciary has not renovated the court over the years.
