Benue Tackling Garnishee Orders, Justice Commissioner Says

By Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Benue State Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Prof. Yangien Ornguga, says the state government is taking steps to address the numerous garnishee orders issued against it by the courts.

Ornguga disclosed this at the weekend during an interaction with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel in his office in Makurdi.

The commissioner said the government had continued to engage lawyers and other concerned parties in an effort to resolve the outstanding claims.

According to him, the government has been inviting the affected parties for discussions and negotiating payment arrangements, including the settlement of some obligations through instalmental payments.

He appealed to lawyers who had obtained garnishee orders against the state to continue to show understanding, particularly in view of the competing financial demands facing the government.

Ornguga also disclosed that the state government had reviewed some obsolete laws to make them more responsive to current realities and emerging challenges.

He listed the Child Rights Law, Penal Code, laws relating to gender-based violence, education and local government administration among those reviewed.

On efforts to combat human trafficking and sexual and gender-based violence, the commissioner said his ministry, in partnership with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), had intensified efforts to tackle the problems.

He said several cases involving sexual and gender-based violence were currently being prosecuted, adding that a dedicated desk had also been established at internally displaced persons (IDP) camps to address cases of sexual violence.

The Attorney-General said the state government had also cleared arrears owed to judiciary staff and increased the remuneration of casual workers from ₦5,000 to ₦20,000.

“We are also improving the working conditions of staff with the construction of a new office complex,” Ornguga said.