Francis Sardauna in Katsina
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Justice Isah Muhammad Dodo, has called on the Katsina State Government to immediately place the control of the Katsina Sharia Courts under the State Sharia Court of Appeal as stipulated in the Sharia law.
THISDAY reliably gathered that Sharia bill was passed into law by the then governor of the state, late Umaru Musa Yar’Adu and the State House of Assembly in 2004 amidst controversy.
Dodo made the call Wednesday in Katsina at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop for Upper Sharia Court Judges on Sharia Practice and Procedure, organised by the Katsina State Sharia Commission, adding that states that are practising Sharia law should be placed under Sharia Court of Appeal.
Dodo, who was the guest speaker at the event, said there was need for Sharia court of Appeal to spearhead the affairs of State Sharia Courts to ensure prudent and speedy dispensation of justice in the state.
He said: “The law was passed by the government of Sokoto, Kano, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kebbi and many other Northern states as well as the Federal Capital Territory. In all the states where the Sharia law was passed they placed the control of Sharia Courts under Sharia Court of Appeal.
“However, in Katsina State, after the law was passed in 2004, the control of Sharia Courts still remains under High Courts of the State. The Sharia Courts are under the state government and not under the federal government.”
In his remarks, the state Grand Khadi, Dr. Al-Hafeez Mika’il Abubakar, urged Sharia Court judges to discharge their obligations as enshrined in the Sharia law, irrespective of tribal and political affiliations.
While calling on the state government to establish Hisbah Corps in the state, Abubakar argued that the corps, if established, would help in encouraging Muslim faithful to operate within the ambit of Qur’anic teachings and reduce overdependence on judges for minor cases.
Meanwhile, the Chief Judge of Katsina State, Justice Abubakar Musa Danladi, advised judges in the state to shun corrupt tendencies and other illegal acts capable of truncating the judicial system, adding that his leadership would not condone unwanted act.
