C’River : Otu Kicks Off New Legal Year, Demands Justice that Restores Lives
By Edem Ekpo
Cross River State has commenced the 2025/2026 legal year with a thanksgiving service at the Assemblies of God Church, Akim, Calabar, where Governor Prince Bassey Otu urged a shift towards restorative justice.
The governor, represented by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, said offenders should be rehabilitated through community service and other restorative measures rather than over-reliance on punitive justice. He noted that such an approach would ease pressure on correctional facilities while fostering true rehabilitation.
Describing the thanksgiving as a sublime tradition that places God at the center of judicial duties, Otu congratulated members of the Bar and Bench on the successful completion of the 2024/2025 legal year. He commended their courage, patriotism, and dedication to duty.
The governor called for greater attention to key challenges in the justice system, particularly delayed trials, prolonged detentions, and the urgent need for continuous training of judicial officers. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” he emphasized.
Otu also unveiled reforms, including the approval for the construction of nine new courts across the state to decongest existing ones. He disclosed that reconstruction of the fire-ravaged High Court in Ogoja is underway, while Special Utility Vehicles have been distributed to judges to ease their mobility. He added that a long-standing dispute involving 30 magistrates has been resolved with the payment of their salaries and arrears.
The governor further announced plans to renovate all court facilities, noting that government is considering either a full-scale renovation of the Judiciary Complex or the construction of a new multi-purpose hall. “The judiciary, as one arm of the tripod of governance, will continue to enjoy deserved attention under my watch,” he assured.
In her remarks, the State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Akon Ikpeme, expressed gratitude to the governor for his sustained support, citing the provision of 20 vehicles to judges, including seven new ones distributed this September.
She also noted significant achievements under her tenure, including the appointment of 15 new judges since May 2021 and a 45 percent revenue increase above the 2024 target at the judiciary headquarters.
Ikpeme appealed for further infrastructural upgrades, particularly the renovation of magistrate courts and the construction of a larger ceremonial hall.
The thanksgiving service featured scripture readings, choir ministrations, and intercessory prayers. In his exhortation titled “Gratitude to Jesus Christ Our Advocate”, Rev. Orok Nkebem of the Assemblies of God Church reminded the congregation that the law was made for sinners and affirmed Christ as humanity’s ultimate advocate.
Dignitaries at the service included Deputy Speaker Hon. Sylvester Agabi, Secretary to the State Government Prof. Anthony Owan Enoh, Chief of Staff Dr. Emmanuel Ironbar, Attorney General Ededem Ani, and members of the diplomatic corps, among others.
The thanksgiving preceded a formal court session at the Judiciary Headquarters, which officially marked the beginning of the 2025/2026 legal year in Cross River State.