Alleviate our suffering, pay our gratituity, Idakwoji urges Kogi govt

Lokoja

The immediate past Grand Khadi of Kogi State Sharia Court of Appeal, Zakariya Idakwoji (rtd), has appealed to Kogi State Government to pay the gratuity of retired judges in the state to alleviate their suffering.

Idakwoji made the appeal at a Valedictory and Special Court Session in honour of deceased and retired judicial officers of the state judiciary at the state High Court Complex on Tuesday in Lokoja.

Idakwoji noted that many of the retired judges died before anything could be done about their retirement benefits, adding that payment of such entitlement would help to alleviate the suffering of those living and families left behind by the deceased.

Idakwoji urged Gov. Yahaha Bello to look at the prevailing situation in the country and consider the plight of the retired judges.

“His excellency should use his magnanimity to pay our gratuities.

“This would go a long way to reduce the hardship being faced by retired judges and families left behind by some of them after succumb to death,” he lamented.

The Reporters,an online publication,reports that Idakwoji was in office as head of the court from 2012 to 2018.

Also speaking, retired Justice Elias Adem Egwu, formerly of the state Customary Court of Appeal, urged the judiciary to work on the jurisdiction of the Customary Court of Appeal.

According to him, the issue of jurisdiction of the customary court has been lingering for too long, stressing that areas of jurisdiction in the state,on the issue, should be defined and strictly enforced.

He,however, advised the judiciary to organize a seminar for Area Court Judges, adding that there was need for legal practitioners to cite customary laws within their localities rather than foreign laws in local land cases.