…Says: Intelligence, Tech led Security, not roadblocks key to checking insecurity .
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Barr Soronnadi Njoku,has sent a passionate appeal to Imo State Governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, to take action to fill the vacuum in the state’s judicial system, to enable it to perform its constitutional duties.
The learned silk made the call recently in Owerri, while interacting with members of the Ngor Okpala Journalists Forum, pointing out that what needed to be done to make the system to bounce back to normalcy, was the filling of the vacant seats of The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, and appointment of the Chief Judge of Imo State.
He emphasized that unless these critical and urgent actions are taken, the system cannot function properly, and the state would continue to be the loser, as dispensation of justice would continue to suffer, threatening the peace, security,development, and progress of the state.
According to him, these lapses are already negatively impacting the system, and the state,as the lack of a sitting Chief Judge resulted in the non appointment of vacation judges this year, a development he said he was witnessing for the first time in his over forty years of legal practice; as well as the long delay of up to three months in assigning of case files to judges.
The same way absence of a Chief Judge was taken a toll on the system, according to him, was also the same way the vacuum in the office of The Attorney General was hindering the effective performance of the system. According to him, the Attorney General was a statutory member of the State Security Council, bringing legal perspectives to security meetings.
However, as at today in the state, he stressed further, this was not happening, with the consequences being that security meetings are now held and decisions taken without proper legal advice.
He stressed that no sector can function well,and achieve meaningful development and progress without a functional justice system, because such society would lack the environment that would promote fair,just and equitable socioeconomic and political relationships.
He,therefore, appealed to the governor to take decisive steps toward filling the two most important judicial offices in the state, in the interest of the system,the people of the state, and the state itself.
Addressing the issue of insecurity, he dismissed the sentiment that the state is experiencing it more than other states,insisting that insecurity is a national problem.