Ebonyi State Goverment | Ministry of Justice

ACHIEVEMENT OF THE MINISTRY

The achievements of the Ministry since its inception till date have been exemplary. These achievements cut across various spheres of the society. Very limited number of these achievements is highlighted hereunder:

Case Flow Due to the highly vociferous and liberal democratic dispensation in vogue in the country, the Ministry is necessarily challenged in its performance in the dispensation of justice in the state. Besides evolving legal awareness of the citizenry which reflects in the influx of suits challenging Government’s policies and actions, crimes and criminal activities the world over are on rise the rise. Ebonyi State is no exception. The Ministry has received and is still receiving volumes of criminal case files from the police for advice and subsequent prosecution.
The Directorate of Public Prosecutors is always on its toes in prosecuting criminal cases in our High Courts. Some of these end either in the Court of Appeal or the Supreme Court. Convictions are secured in most of these, and this goes a long way in riding the society of undesirable elements. The Ministry’s Department of Civil Litigations is also inundated with civil cases in contracts, alleged breaches of human rights and challenges of Government policies and programmes. The Department has always been alive to its responsibilities by winning many of these cases.
Besides the traditional roles of assisting the courts to arrive at the justice of cases brought to them for adjudication, the ministry of justice has won some landmark cases over the years. Of note are;
1. The highly celebrated resource control cases in the Supreme;
2. The VAT case in the Supreme Court;
3. The disputed 2006 Census Case at the Census Tribunal;
4. The case of Sunday Chikioke Agbo & 6 others at the Supreme Court;
5. The case questioning the legality of security votes to State Government at the Federal High Court, Abuja;
6. The case of former councillors challenging the non-payment of their severance and other allowances at the court of appeal, etc.
Currently, the ministry has a myriad of civil and criminal cases pending in various courts ranging from the Magistrate Courts, State High Courts, Federal High Courts within and outside the state, Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court, Abuja.
Lives and property have been preserved through the pragmatic activities of the Ministry. Huge amount of money that would have been lost to speculative litigations is saved. Likely incessant disruptions of Government business through court orders are prevented.
Law Making The Ministry has served as a veritable and indispensable link between the Executive and legislature. It is on record that all the executive bills sent to the House of Assembly since the inception of the present democracy were prepared by the Ministry.
Contract Agreements of the Government The ministry has consistently and promptly prepared or vetted all contract agreements entered into by government to ensure that the respective rights and obligations of government and the contractors are clearly defined and protected.
Law Journal The Ministry is currently working on the production of a law journal (Justitia) which will soon be out. Each edition promises to be an intellectual harvest
Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) The ministry is working out an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanism Project, which will involve the stakeholders in the Administration of Justice, Non-Governmental Organizations, the police, traditional institutions and human right groups. It is hoped that this project, at its take off, would help to further decongest the court as settlement of conflicts will be speedy and at no cost to parties.
Ebonyi State Law Report Arrangements are in top gear towards the publication and presentation of Ebonyi state law report.
Public Petitions The ministry of justice desk on petition and legal matters have received and treated hundreds of petitions from members of the public. Most of the petitioners go home satisfied and happy, thus engendering peace and happiness in the towns and villages.
Law Development The Ministry is leading a committee to collate and publish the Customary Laws applicable in the various communities in the State. Also the Ebonyi State Law Review Committee (under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice) successfully completed and presented the Laws of Ebonyi State, 2009 to the public. This is already on the book stands.
Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy This body headed by the Honourable Attorney-General has been working assiduously by visiting all prison formations where Ebonyi State indigenes are serving prison sentences to enable the body proffer dependable advice to the Governor on clemency for deserving ones.
Appointment of Justices of Peace The Ministry has, on routine basis, appointed and trained justices of peace in the State. This is a deliberate step to bring justice and maintenance of law and order nearer to the people.
Procuring and Securing Title Documents for Government’s Landed Properties. The Ministry successfully located and procured certificates of Occupancy of some of the landed properties of the State. These include:
1. No.1 and 1A Mount Street, GRA, Enugu
2. No.26 Savage Crescent, GRA, Enugu
3. No.20 Park Avenue, GRA, Enugu
4. No.19A Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos.
5. Five other properties located in Aba and Umuahia in Abia State.
Granting of Fiat. The ministry has, on routine bases, been granting fiats to deserving Lawyers. This has gone a long way in expediting the dispensation of justice in the state.
Administration of Estate The administrator general/public trustee department of the ministry has been in the vanguard of bringing peace to families torn apart by conflict of inheritance of deceased benefactors who died intestate. Many of these otherwise broken families now enjoy relative peace and harmony as a result of the transparent manner the estate of their deceased benefactors are being managed by the ministry.
Revenue Generation The ministry is now involved in aggressive revenue generation for the state under the leadership of the current attorney-general, Rt. Hon. Augustine Nwankwagu. The sources which have been strengthened and reorganised for revenue generation include;
1. Fiat fees
2. Oath fees
3. Contract processing fees
4. Estate management fees
5. Document certification fees
6. Sale of law publications