The Enugu State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Kingsley Udeh, has said that the state will commence the prosecution of the alleged killer of a popular Enugu musician, Okezie Mba, next week.
A police operative shot Mr Mba, otherwise called Igbo Jah, dead in October 2024 at a police station in Enugu.
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The justice commissioner, Mr Udeh said the state would next week also begin the prosecution of Sunday Echeji, who allegedly cut off his wife’s hand.
He disclosed this during an interactive session with reporters in Enugu on Thursday.
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He said the Ministry of Justice had qualified and competent lawyers to prosecute both cases efficiently and that the ministry was currently prosecuting many criminal cases, with over 100 handled monthly.
The commissioner said the government had initiated different strategies to ensure a quick dispensation of justice, including the digitalisation of court filing process, virtual trials, and the introduction of Witness Support Fund (WSF).
“Now, the governor has approved what we call WSF, money earmarked for calling witnesses, especially in a criminal case.
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“It was one of the things that stalled the quick dispensation of justice before the current administration.
“You know that criminal prosecution is done by the state. You know that the government is not the victim or complainant in the case, and we call witnesses.
“Before now, no money is assigned to the prosecutor for calling witnesses. You may be asking if the witnesses are paid to come to court. We do not pay them, but we provide them with logistics.
“So, if you are calling a pathologist to come and give expert evidence as an expert witness, they wouldn’t come until you give them money, not to pay them, but their logistics,” Mr Udeh said.
He said the government was using every legal instrument, including granting state pardons to deserving inmates, to decongest the correctional centres.
Ownership of Hotel Presidential
Mr Udeh announced that the Supreme Court had granted Enugu State full ownership of the Hotel Presidential, which, according to him, ended all litigations previously hindering the government from taking over the structure.
“Criminals were using Hotel Presidential as a hideout because it was a massive structure, no security there, so criminals were having a field day there.
“The court ordered us to go there to pursue criminals out because it has become a security threat.
READ ALSO: Nigerian musician shot dead by police operative
“So we did that and started putting things in order.
“And then we started pursuing them with speed, knowing that there is a limit we can go because of litigation against the state. So we started pursuing to end the case at the Supreme Court,” he said.
(NAN)
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