Katsina Judiciary to set-up conflict resolution centres, says CJ

From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

The Katsina State Judiciary has disclosed that it will soon establish Community Conflicts Resolution Centres to reduce the burden and workload of conventional courts in the state.
“The Community Conflicts Resolution Centres will handle and resolve minor family and disputes in these areas.
Justice Musa Danladi, the Chief Judge of Katsina State disclosed this while presenting a paper titled “the role of Community Reconciliation Committees as a tool for prison decongestion” in Katsina.
Danladi presented the paper during a two-day workshop on capacity building training for “Court reporters in Katsina State organized by an NGO and Katsina State High Court of Justice.
He revealed that “At the initially stage, the High Court will soon establish one conflict resolution centre for Makera, Kwado and Kabukawa areas in Katsina Metropolis at the Kwado Round about.
“This conflict centre will be monitored by judicial experts to see how conflicts are resolved amicably After some month of establishing the model centre, the High Court will also establish other centres in Katsina metropolis”.
“After seeing the success of the centres, the Judiciary will also establish similar centre in the markets, Urban and Semi-urban centres in the state” he said
The Chief Judge said that the idea behind the establishment of Resolution Centres was to decongest the prisons in Katsina.
Danladi disclosed that the various prisons in Katsina state were over populated with people awaiting trials.
“We decided to introduce the simple way of dialogue to reconcile brothers and Neighbours who goes to court over minor issues’. he said
Danladi revealed that there was a clause in the law that gave the Chief Judge the right to introduce a system that would decongest the prisons.
“We have already the blessing of the Chief Justice of the Federation and the Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari to establish the reconciliation centres in Katsina State,” he added
“Infact, the Chief Justice of the Federation has been slated to commission the first model community conflict reconciliation centre in Katsina State very soon” he disclosed
The Chief Judge called on lawyers and other judiciary professionals to support the conflict Resolution centres in the state.