A human rights group, Rule of Law and Empowerment Initiative also known as Partners West Africa, Nigeria, has officially launched an electronic recording facility called Q-Soft Denovo to ensure an effective record of court proceedings by judges and magistrates in the Federal Capital Territory. With the device, the group said it is contributing its quota towards facilitating justice delivery in the city.
The group in its Judicial Integrity Project expressed worries that the continuous writing in long hands by judges has contributed greatly to the delay in justice dispensation and also caused judges to sit for prolonged hours in court.
Speaking at the official presentation on Tuesday, the group through its Programme Manager, Hadiza Usman, stated that the technology solution being deployed in FCT High Court and the proper equipment of courts will go a long way in addressing quick and efficient dispensation of justice in the country.
Hadiza noted that the launch of this technological solution would relieve all the burdens plagued by challenges in the judicial system, as judges won’t have to write continuously for hours.
She noted that prison congestion would lessen and a failed justice system would be at its minimal. According to her, about seven per cent of inmates are presently awaiting trial in correctional centres within the city. She, therefore, hoped that the launch of the technology aid will fast tracks justice delivery.
The group also noted that with the launch of the facility, Court 22 in the Jabi Division of FCT High Court would be implementing it to further reduce the workload on the judges as well as improve judicial proceedings.
According to Hadiza, the legal aid services, which are constitutionally guaranteed for court users, embarked upon by the group, aimed at increasing civil society’s access to government information as a means to fight judicial corruption and create an opportunity for citizens to have engagement with the government.
