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Bauchi Unveils Implementation of VAPP, Other Laws —Africa Daily News

By Abdulwahab Muhammad, BAUCHI.

Succour has come for victims of sexual abuse and gender based violence as the Bauchi state government has unveiled the implemention of Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law, Administration of Criminal Justice Law and Penal Code of the state.

Addressing a press conference at the NUJ Secretariat, the  Chief Judge of Bauchi State, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar lamented that delays in the dispensation of justice and congestion of dockets of the courts and by extension congestion of Correctional Centres with a high population of Awaiting Trial Persons (ATPs) are the norm and the order of the day.

According to her, some latest figures has revealed the position of the State in the administration of justice in Bauchi Statefrom records in the Central Registry of the High Court where cases are registered and assigned to Magistrate and District Courts within Bauchi metropolis.

Represented by the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, Barr Subilim Emmanuel, the CJ stated that, records show that from January 2021 to December 2021, 567 civil cases were registered, 1232 criminal cases were registered out of which 219 cases were GBV cases.

"Between January 2022 to December 2022, 1,319 civil cases were registered; 2416 criminal cases were registered out of which 184 cases were GBV cases while from January to 13 February 2023, 130 civil cases were registered, 275 criminal cases were registered out of which 17 are GBV cases.

 “These statistics only cover 11 of the 35 sitting Magistrates in the State and over 100 Sharia Courts across the State. This is not even without any reference to the pending cases in the various courts.” She said 

She stated that the journey to the signing into law of these Laws was not easy, pointing out that in the case of Administration of Criminal Justice Law and Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, the repealed laws when assented to were perhaps said to be recent existing laws only in the statute books.

Also speaking, the  Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abubakar Mohammed, said that the VAPP Law is a punishable under the new law to practice Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), forced marriage and other harmful traditional practices, adding that speedy trial process would not exceed 180 days.

"We now have elimination of delay. No matter how weighty an offence is, you must conclude it within 180 days. Also, we now have a limited number of adjournments, which is five,” he said

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