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Tag: Oluseun Abimbola

  • Ajimobi grants amnesty to 15 prisoners

    Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has granted amnesty at differing levels to 15 various offenders currently serving prison sentences at different prisons in the state.

    The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluseun Abimbola said in Ibadan on Tuesday that 11 convicts will enjoy either outright release, or reduction in sentence terms, while four persons had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

    Abimbola explained that the Governor, in exercise of his powers under section 212 of the 1999 constitution granted the amnesty on the recommendation of the State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy headed by the Attorney General, as part of the events commemorating the celebration of Nigeria’s 58th year independence anniversary.

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    The Attorney General appreciated the kind gesture of the governor in granting the amnesty, stating that it is the hope and expectation of the State government that those to be released would by reason of the good behavior that qualified them for consideration for amnesty, reciprocate with continuing good behaviour as they reintegrate into society.

    “We expect them to transform to become upstanding members of society, as they would have learnt useful lessons from their time of incarceration to know that crime does not pay.

    “The exercise of the prerogative of mercy by the governor is a constitutional exercise carefully and responsibly reviewed to ensure the exercise retains its credibility,” Mr. Abimbola added.

  • Oyo holds local council elections Saturday

    The Oyo State Government on Thursday disclosed that local government elections will hold on Saturday May 12 as scheduled, saying that there will be restriction on movement between 8am and 3pm.

    The Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Oluseun Abimbola said that the supposed legal impediment towards the conduct of the election has been vacated as a Federal High Court in Ibadan today struck out the suit filed by some persons from Eruwa against Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) and others challenging elections into newly created wards in Oyo state.

    Abimbola said that in the suit FHC/IB/CS/47/2018 (Olugbenga Adeyemi &  Others V INEC, OYSIEC and OYSG, the presiding judge, Hon. Justice Abdul Malik of the Federal High Court in Ibadan  held that the subject matter of this suit is clearly on the powers of OYSIEC being challenged by the  plaintiffs,  and not the powers of INEC joined as a federal agency.

    “She agreed with the submissions of the Oyo State Attorney General, Oluseun Abimbola Esq, that the joinder of a federal agency will not automatically confer jurisdiction on the court if the subject matter contested is outside the jurisdiction of the Court.

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    “The court then held that the suit was not for the Federal High Court, but for the State High Court and accordingly struck out the suit in its entirety along with any previously made orders,” Abimbola explained.

    He added, “It will be recalled that the court had earlier made an order of injunction restraining defendants from using the new ward delineation for the elections. That order is equally now vacated. With this ruling, the coast is clear for the exercise of democratic rights by all residents of the State to elect Chairmen and Councilors into all Local Government Councils, Local Council Development Area (LCDAs) and their constituent wards on Saturday, May 12.”

    The State Government said that there will be vehicular restriction between 8am and 3pm on Saturday May 12, 2018 during the conduct of the local government election in the state.

    The State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Toursim, Mr. Toye Arulogun said that Students sitting for National Board of Technical Examination (NABTEB) with proof of evidence will be allowed to move to their examination centres.

    Arulogun explained that election will hold in 33 local government areas and the 35 local council development areas, urging the general public to troop out enmasse to cast their votes for candidates of their choice.

    He appealed to the citizens to bear with the commission on the restriction.

  • Nigerian judges burdened with too many cases – Ajimobi

    Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi has attributed the slow dispensation of justice to the high number of cases that judges across the country are being burdened with.

    The governor, stated this while inaugurating the Oyo State Multi-door Court House located within the premises of the State High Court, Ibadan, on Tuesday.

    He therefore appealed to litigants to embrace the newly-introduced multi-court door initiative as an alternative route to seeking redress and liberalizing access to justice.

    Ajimobi explained that the multi-court door system was in the furtherance of alternative dispute resolution system which he described as the country’s native jurisprudence before the contemporary court system came into being.

    He said: “The official commissioning of the multi-door court house today is a clear signal that we are returning to our root where issues are resolved amicably without the much experienced delays, complex legalese and drain on the resources of the state and disputants.

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    “This is not meant to minimize the role of our courts, especially the courts of records which play a pivotal role in the maintenance of civil and social order in our society.

    “But our vision is to ensure that we provide a credible alternative, yet constitutional route, towards dispute resolution and attainment of justice.’’

    In further justifying the introduction of the multi-door court system in the state, the governor frowned on what he called the astronomical addition to the court docket quarterly, saying the development might hamper speedy dispensation of justice.

    Ajimobi said that the multi-door court process would enable disputants to access the various other dispute resolution options such as mediation, arbitration, conciliation, early neutral evaluation and hybrid processes.

    He said: “I understand from the information available to me that each one of our judges in the High Court currently carry a case load of between 300 and 400 cases per court, which number increases monthly.

    “So far, within this first quarter of 2018 only, I am informed that 306 new civil cases have been filed by disputants before the Oyo State High Court and 173 criminal cases filed by the Ministry of Justice and the police.

    “With such astronomical addition to the court docket quarterly, our administration of justice system may never be able to achieve speedy dispensation of justice, without an initiative like the multi-door court.

    “It is clear that without this alternative route and a liberalization of our access to justice structures, speedy dispensation of justice will continue to elude our people.’’

    Also speaking at the occasion, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Oluseun Abimbola, said the landmark performances of the present administration, which culminated in the transformation of the State into the 4th Most Desirable Destination of Choice for Foreign Investment had been replicated in the legal system

    He described the multi-door court process as part of the Ajimobi-led administration’s legacy of restoration, transformation, and repositioning the state, for which the legal profession in the state would remain grateful.

    Abimbola urged all stakeholders and the organized private sector to embrace and harness the benefits of the new initiative in the state’s justice system for their own benefit.

    The Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola expressed appreciation to the governor for the initiative and promised that the state’s legal administration would do all within its power to enhance justice delivery in the State.

  • Oyo charges police, judiciary officers on implementation of Criminal Justice law

    The Oyo State Government has urged the Nigeria Police and judiciary officers in the state to ensure proper implementation of the Administration of ‎Criminal Justice Law (ACJL), recently signed into law by the governor of the state, Sen Abiola Ajimobi.

    The State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice,‎ Oluseun Abimbola who stated this at a stakeholder workshop organised by the Ministry of Justice and Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) in Ibadan, said all stakeholder must ensure that their officers and men, prosecutors, counsel and judicial officers, familiarise themselves with the workings of the new law.

    “‎The ACJL repeal and replaces the now 70 years old Criminal Procedure Law (CPL) of the state inherited from the Colonial government, which has out lived its relevance in terms of its responsiveness to achieving an effective and efficient criminal justice system. This state of affairs inevitably lef to the unconscious abuse of the process by some stakeholders, clogging the pace of justice delivery and consequently congestion of criminal courts and prison cells.

    “The law through the committed implementation of its provision by all stakeholders, in the short term crash the rate of arbitrary remand of suspects in our prison and police cells and on the long term ensure less congestion in our prisons and quicken the pace of criminal prosecution.” he said

    Abimbola said the judiciary must be ready to fashion out an implementation strategy with internal process management structures to monitor compliance and results.

    He said the police must also ensure thorough investigations, and recognise that the work of the security agency does not end at transferring files to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution, but includes diligent attendance to the prosecution as dire consequences may visit cases plagued with either the continuing absenteeism of investigating officers, sloppy investigation or non-compliance with the statutory requirements of the ACJL.

    Similarly in his remarks, the Chief Justice of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola ‎said ACJL will promote efficient management of criminal justice institution, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of society for crime and protection of rights and interest of the suspects, the defendant and the victim.

    “In my view, the law ‎if enforced shall have effect of not only trial process and quicken same as it will limit the numbers of adjournments a counsel can request for which is only five adjournments and in capital offences 180 days if not trial shall be granted bail and adjournment must not be more than 14 days,” he said.

  • NBA wants lawyers to handle criminal cases in courts

     

    The Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch, Mr. Oluseun Abimbola, has reiterated the need for lawyers to take over the prosecution of criminal cases in magistrates’ courts to ensure speedy trials.

    Abimbola told the News Agency of Nigeria in Ibadan that the practice of police prosecution of cases was inherited from the colonialists.

    He, however, said the practice was inadequate to meet modern challenges of the criminal justice system in the country.

    “It is a lot of disservice to have prosecutors who are not lawyers handling criminal cases in the magistrates’ courts.

    “This does not happen in the higher courts because only a lawyer can plead before a judge.

    “For the purpose of a proper job being done in terms of not necessarily the skills alone, but speedy administration of justice, there is no reason why we should still have the police prosecuting,” he said.

    The NBA boss added that the police could prosecute where the counsel were qualified lawyers.

    “Let the police focus on law enforcement and let lawyers focus on prosecution.

    “However, if the police should prosecute, let the police prosecutor be a lawyer. I know that we have sufficient number of lawyers within the rank and file of the police,’’ he said.

    Abimbola urged the police authorities to recruit more lawyers and conduct periodic training to hone their capacity.