The Delta State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Isaiah Bozimo (Esq), has charged Justices of Peace (JPs) in the state on sustained impact in the adjudication and resolution of conflicts within their respective domains.
Bozimo gave the charge when the Delta State Executive of the Association of Justices of the Peace (AJP) paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Asaba, the state capital. He lauded the association for its inspiring contributions to the Justice Sector, noting that only persons with unblemished track records who would not abuse the position were considered and appointed as Justices of the Peace by the state government.
The Attorney General also stressed the need for effective synergy between the association and the Ministry of Justice to be incorporated into the programmes of the Ministry. He recalled that the functions of Justices of the Peace included presiding and mediation over matters of communal disputes and other issues that could lead to the breakdown of law and order in their respective communities. He commended the association for its engagement with traditional rulers and President-Generals of various communities in the State.
Bozimo disclosed that the state government was intensifying efforts to effect the release of a female Deltan who was a victim of human trafficking to Libya.
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He said that when the state government secures her release she would be brought back to the state and reintegrated into the society to enable her live normal life. He added that the state government was also actively addressing the issues of Gender Based Violence and exploitation of minors.
Earlier, the President of the association, Sir Chief Sam Odjoji (JP), who congratulated the Commissioner on his appointment, thanked the Ministry of Justice for its supportive role during the swearing in ceremony of the association’s state executives. He added that the visit afforded them an opportunity to introduce the state officers of the association to the Commissioner. He appealed to the Attorney-General to allocate slots to them in the appointment of their members into the Customary Courts of the State as well as create Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees in each of the three Senatorial Districts for quick dispensation of minor cases which will help to decongest the various Courts.
The association also appealed through the Attorney-General to His Excellency the Governor, for the provision of a bus to each of the three Senatorial Districts of the association. He also stated that Justices of Peace should be made to register and be part of a central registry in the state capital. Chief Odjoji assured the Commissioner of their cooperation at all times in ensuring that peace reigned supreme in the State, saying that peace was a crucial element for meaningful development.
