The Kaduna State Government says it has enacted new laws to regulate several matters such as crime, corruption, land use, and taxation in the state.

The deputy governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, says said this at the launch of the Strategy Document on Justice Reforms in the state, held at the Government House in Kaduna, on Tuesday.

The deputy governor, who described justice as “a pillar of civilisation, a palladium of liberty, and a guarantee of due process”, said the new laws also help to enhance the capacity of various agencies to improve service delivery.

She said: “Since its assumption of office in 2015, the El-Rufai government has anchored its reform agenda on many new laws and a few new agencies. Many legislations have been extensively and painstaking reviewed and outmoded laws repealed.

“New laws have been enacted to reflect current realities, contemporary concerns, and best practices. These laws effectively regulate several subject matters such as crime, corruption, land use, and taxation, among others. The laws also help to enhance the capacity of various agencies to improve service delivery.

“Our desire for and steady pursuit of a vibrant and functional justice system led to the domestication of the Justice Policy in 2018. That policy document identified fourteen themes, thematic challenges and strategic interventions. It serves as a roadmap for ongoing reforms over the past five years. Key areas of reforms include a review of the legal framework and the strengthening of associated institutions.”

Balarabe added that in 2017, Kaduna State became the first state in the North to domesticate the Administration of Criminal Justice Law which repealed the Criminal Procedure Code used throughout Northern Nigeria.

READ ALSO: 8 things Tinubu promises Nigerian business leaders

“We also enacted a model Penal Code Law, in furtherance of agreements among the northern states regarding the desirability of such a step,” she said.

The deputy governor further stated that the present administration has taken several steps to strengthen key institutions across the justice sector.

According to her, the steps include the employment of 70 state counsels at the Ministry of Justice, creation of more Magistrate Courts, employment of additional Magistrates to man the courts, and increasing the jurisdictions of magistrates in monetary claims from N500,000 to N5 million.

Balarabe said Governor Nasir El-Rufai-led administration also created Small Claims Court to expedite adjudication on financial claims and speedy resolution for debt and disputes involving recovery of monies.

She said the state government equally created mediation centre in the Ministry of Justice and in the three Senatorial zones in the state which offer free legal services to the indigent, adding that the administration created Sexual Assault Referral Centres to cater for victims of sexual related offences.

“The Centres serves as a one stop shop providing psycho-social counseling, forensic examination, medical treatment, and legal services for victims of sexual assault.

“All these reform interventions are designed to improve the quality of justice and reduce the barriers to service delivery,” the deputy governor added.

Balarabe, however, thanked the stakeholders involved in developing the Strategy Document, saying the state government will look forward to implementing the recommended strategies.

The Star