Goli Innocent 
The Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Amadi on Thursday said a total of 36,712 cases are pending in various courts across the State.
The Chief Judge who disclosed this at a special court session to mark the beginning of the 2023/2024 Legal Year in the state said most of the cases had been in court since the preceding Legal Year.
According to him, in 2022–2023 the state’s High Courts heard 11,074 cases out of 5,041 that were resolved, adding that the Customary Court of Appeal brought 88 cases into the new legal year, but the Magistrates Courts carried over 14, 943 cases.
However, he posited that over N645 million were made by the state’s judiciary last year.
Justice Amadi also revealed that he received 50 petitions from lawyers and litigants seeking the transfer of their cases already assigned to magistrates and judges, noting that frivolous petitions hampered the smooth dispensation of justice.
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Speaking further, he said the judiciary in the state needed at least 300 employees to address the manpower deficiency currently affecting it.
In his remarks, Prof. Zaccheaus Adangor, the Commissioner for Justice, criticised the unprofessional behaviour of judicial practitioners to try to damage judges’ reputations when they lose cases.
In a similar vein, Mr. Onueze Okocha (SAN), a former NBA president, praised the Rivers judiciary for its success in a number of previous endeavours.
Judge Victor Benebo, the NBA chapter chairman for Port Harcourt, had earlier asked justice officials to carry out their jobs without fear or favour.
Benebo also called for improved welfare for magistrates in the state to enable them to perform well. (NAN)
