The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria has expressed concern over the rate of financial inducement in the Rivers State judiciary.
The Council which was first established by the promulgation of Legal Aid Decree No. 56 of 1976 is saddled with the responsibility of rendering free legal services to indigent persons who deserve justice.
Speaking with our correspondent, the state coordinator of the council, Barr Anita Chukwuka said, “financial inducement from litigants to lawyers is one of the corruptions in the judiciary which has affected the confidence the public used to have in the judiciary.
“Judicial officers such as magistrates and judges are also being tempted to compromise.
“I think it is because the judiciary has not truly attained the level of independence it deserves as a distinct arm of government.
“The executive and the legislature are still using the weakness of the judiciary to unfairly influence the justice system which ought not to be so.
“This is a country where the judiciary is not well funded and the welfare of judicial officers is not given proper attention.
“Though in Rivers, the state government has tried in upgrading the judicial system but a lot still needs to be done.”
The state coordinator also advocates for more training of judicial officers in order to get them updated with the 21st-century trends.
She further stressed the need for judicial officers to embrace mechanisms that will help get them acquainted with current case laws (authorities) in the interest of sound justice delivery.
