14, 998 court cases pending in Ebonyi High Court

… Generates N21m from fees, fines
From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, AbakalikiNo fewer than 14, 998 court cases are still pending in the High Court of Ebonyi State during the 2012/2013 legal year. The Chief Judge of the state, Justice Alloy Nwankwo, gave the figure at the weekend during the ceremony marking 2013/2014 legal year at the High Court of Justice, Abakaliki, saying that under the case flow management for the state High Court, 13, 342 cases were filed and 10, 684 were disposed off. He, however, stated that the judiciary in the state generated over N21 million from fines and fees between 2012/2013 legal year.
According to him, “Although revenue generation constitutes an ancillary function of the judiciary, it is noteworthy to mention that we recorded increased revenue by way of fines and fees during the 2012/2013 legal year as over N21 million was generated by the judiciary.
“Since, my assumption of office, Ebonyi State judiciary has maintained a very cordial relationship with the two branches of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in the state. Last legal year was no exception. We shall continue to do our best to sustain this relationship  to discharge our functions more efficiently as partners in progress.”
The chief judge said as part of efforts to help decongest the prisons in the state, he visited Afikpo Federal Prison on July 24, 2013 and granted bail to 13 persons with various conditions while seven others were granted bail on self-recognizance and five inmates were discharged on merit.
Similarly, on July 25, 2013, he visited Abakaliki Federal Prison during which 14 persons were granted bail with various conditions while nine were granted bail on self-recognizance and nine awaiting trial inmates discharged on merit.
In his remarks, Governor Martin Elechi, represented on the occasion by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr. Ben Igwenyi, commended the judiciary for maintaining ethical standards in the discharge of its responsibilities.