Dec. 2, 2025

The Bauchi State Ministry of Justice says it recorded nothing less than 75 homicide cases, 28 kidnappings and 86 cases of rape in the 2024-2025 Legal Year.

Mr. Hassan Usman (SAN), the Bauchi state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, said this in Bauchi on Tuesday during the commencement of the 2025/2026 legal year ceremony.

“From January to date, we received a total of 91 robbery cases as against last year which was 83 with 75 homicide cases.

“We were served with motions for bails and other motions totalling about 256. We also received about 86 rape cases and 28 kidnapping cases.

“We received a total number of 592 criminal cases, out of this number, 97 were disposed of, 15 were discharged through legal advice, while 454 are pending,” Usman said.

He noted that with the high volume of cases recorded, the ministry developed strategies to fast-track prosecutions.

He said this was in line with the administration of criminal justice law that emphasised speedy trials by setting timelines of filing charges in court and proceedings.

Usman said that the Governor, Bala Mohammed, approved the release of N7.8 million for the purchase of law and other practice books for their library.

He added that the governor also approved the release of monthly funds to settle all outstanding judgment debts owed by the state government.

The attorney general appreciated the governor for his benevolence, unwavering commitment and exceptional support to the Ministry of Justice in the state.

Earlier, Justice Rabi Umar, the State’s Chief Judge, expressed displeasure at the recurrent practice of arraigning suspects in court without proper preliminary investigations.

She said that in many cases, efforts to gather evidence were only initiated after the trial had begun.

“This backward approach to criminal prosecution significantly delays the process and undermines the delivery of justice.

“It is unacceptable that in 2025 we have continued to see such practices, which contributed to the overwhelming backlog of cases in our courts and ultimately eroded public confidence in the Justice System.

“To resolve this and other identified lapses, a committee was set up to review the Bauchi state Administration of Criminal Justice Law and come up with a Draft Law that will stand the test of time,” she said.

Umar affirmed that lawyers who did not adhere to the prescribed dress code for legal practitioners in the state would not be permitted to appear in court.

She said that such a disregard for professional decorum undermined the prestige and global respect that the legal profession commands.

In his speech, Gov. Mohammed said that the three arms of government in the state had been working harmoniously and in synergy without compromising their constitutional autonomy.

Mohammed, represented by his Deputy, Alh. Auwal Jatau, said he always gave the two other arms of government the necessary support and cooperation, to ensure they operated optimally without any hindrance. (NAN)