Benue State Ministry of Justice says it has reviewed several outdated laws to align the state’s legal framework with contemporary realities and emerging challenges.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Yangien Ornguga, disclosed this on Saturday in Makurdi during an interaction with newsmen.
Mr Ornguga said the laws reviewed included the Child Rights Law, Penal Code, Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, Education Law and Local Government Law.
He said the ministry set up a committee to carry out the review after discovering that some of the laws no longer reflected current realities.
“Your laws must answer to the challenges at the present time,” Mr Ornguga said.
He said the review process was capital-intensive and that limited resources had allowed the ministry to review only some of the laws so far.
The commissioner said the reforms were aimed at ensuring the laws remained relevant and effectively addressed contemporary challenges in the state.
According to him, outdated laws can create gaps in justice administration and make it difficult to hold offenders accountable for emerging forms of misconduct.
Mr Ornguga also said the ministry had improved access to justice by creating a website where members of the public can report issues and seek assistance.
He said the platform would particularly assist victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), who could make reports online without necessarily visiting the ministry or police.
The commissioner said the Supreme Court recently used the ministry’s website to communicate details of a case involving the ministry and to request that legal briefs be submitted electronically.
He described the development as a positive outcome of the ministry’s digital initiative.
Mr Ornguga said the ministry had also established a legal desk at an Internally Displaced Persons camp to enable victims of SGBV to report cases and receive legal assistance.
He added that the ministry was collaborating with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on advocacy and awareness campaigns against human trafficking, including engagements in schools.
The attorney-general said the ministry had also provided computers, generators and printers to three area chambers to improve the working environment and efficiency of lawyers outside the state capital.
He said capacity-building programmes and workshops had equally been organised to improve the effectiveness of lawyers in the ministry.
Mr Ornguga said the ministry, with support from a non-governmental organisation, Women Empowerment Programme, had established 24-hour internet service to facilitate legal research and enhance the efficiency of its lawyers.
He further said the ministry had maintained a cordial working relationship with the Benue state judiciary.
(NAN)