Umo Bassey Eno Akwa Ibom Governor
The Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice is currently handling 3,264 pending criminal and civil cases across various courts in Nigeria, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Uko Udom (SAN), has disclosed.
Speaking at an inter-ministerial press briefing on Thursday in Uyo, Udom detailed the ministry’s litigation workload and non-contentious legal achievements, attributing performance improvements to prompt funding for case management and the settlement of professional fees for external solicitors.
According to the Attorney-General, the ministry is overseeing 896 pending civil cases distributed across various judicial tiers:
Supreme Court: 26 cases
Court of Appeal: 94 cases
Federal High Court: 55 cases
State High Court: 634 cases
National Industrial Court: 43 cases
Magistrate Courts: 44 cases
Udom revealed that 96 civil matters were concluded during the year, including six at the Supreme Court, 17 at the Court of Appeal, 11 at the Federal High Court, 53 at the State High Court, and nine at the National Industrial Court.
On the criminal litigation front, the ministry is managing 2,368 pending criminal cases, comprising 69 at the Supreme Court, 123 at the Court of Appeal, 87 at the Federal High Court, 887 at the State High Court, and 1,202 at the Magistrate Courts.
Focus on Gender-Based Violence and Legal Services
Addressing gender-based violence, the commissioner reported 340 pending cases, highlighting key breakdowns:
Rape: 56 cases
Domestic battery: 87 cases
Threats to life and physical assault: 129 cases
Child abandonment and denial of access: 25 cases
Emotional abuse: 24 cases
Forceful ejection: 12 cases
Harmful widowhood practices: 7 cases
In addition to courtroom litigation, the ministry processed 420 legal instruments over the period. These included 150 road construction and investment consultancy agreements, 121 tenancy and lease agreements, 75 legal drafts, 34 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), 27 formal legal advisories, and 13 executive orders and regulations.
Highlighting operational challenges within the state’s correctional and judicial ecosystem, Udom identified the lack of official executioners as a major obstacle preventing the execution of death sentences passed by courts in Akwa Ibom State.
