The Ebonyi government on Friday said it had recorded 590 criminal cases and 897 civil matters over the past two years.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ben Odoh, disclosed this during an interactive session in Abakaliki, the state capital.

Mr Odoh explained that out of the 590 criminal matters, 122 had been concluded, while 468 remained pending.

Regarding civil cases, the commissioner stated that out of 897 cases, 445 were concluded, while the number of pending cases stood at 452 during the period under review.

He added that the ministry, under the present administration, had successfully made 26 new laws in the interest of peace and justice in the state.

The attorney-general stated that the state government had created a conducive atmosphere for the justice delivery system, aiming to reduce the difficulties surrounding access to justice.

“Within this period, we have been able to create a Citizens’ Mediation Centre. This centre is exclusively for the indigent persons who have cases but do not have money to pay lawyers,” he revealed.

He said the department was able to dispose of 86 cases free of charge, particularly for the poor.

“We have also established a multi-door court; this is for those who have the money to pay the lawyers but do not want matters to be settled in the normal court setting.

“These are for litigants who do not want their matter to go through the technicalities of litigation,” he said.

He also spoke on the establishment of a sexual and gender-based violence response department in collaboration with the office of the state first lady’s pet project. 

(NAN)