Ojutalayo, who described courtrooms as cramped, sizzling and poorly ventilated, with insufficient seating, unreliable energy provide and inadequate safety, mentioned the stipulations undermine the efficient management of justice.
He spoke on Tuesday whilst turning in a keynote cope with titled “The Long term of the Nigerian Magistracy in an Evolving Justice Sector” on the 2026 Nationwide Conference of the Magistrates’ Affiliation of Nigeria (MAN), held on the Judiciary Complicated, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“The bodily setting is subsequently a part of the standard of justice, and no longer an issue of management by myself. Many magistrates’ courtrooms are cramped, sizzling and poorly ventilated, with insufficient seating, unreliable energy provide and little safety.
“A courtroom during which everybody provide is uncomfortable and concerned to go away isn’t one during which cautious justice is definitely performed. Many magistrates will admit that the temptation to hurry via an inventory, merely to flee an insufferable room, is actual,” he mentioned.
In line with him, such stipulations may just compromise litigants’ constitutional proper to an excellent listening to and limit the general public’s proper to wait courtroom court cases.
He additionally known insufficient investment, not on time welfare provisions, loss of respectable automobiles, heavy caseloads, old-fashioned record-keeping methods and unclear promotion pathways as primary demanding situations confronting the magistracy.
The SAN famous that delays in prison justice court cases had been ceaselessly led to by way of elements past magistrates’ keep an eye on, together with the failure to supply defendants in courtroom, the absence of prosecutors and incomplete case information. He warned that such delays contributed to congestion in custodial centres, the place awaiting-trial inmates represent a considerable share of the inhabitants.
In line with him, the Management of Felony Justice Act (ACJA), which seeks to make sure rapid trials via steady court cases and boundaries on adjournments, can best succeed in its targets if all establishments paintings in combination.
On occupation development, Ojutalayo mentioned magistrates ceaselessly lacked obviously outlined or publicly to be had pathways to elevation to the Top Courtroom Bench. He instructed State Judicial Provider Commissions and Leader Judges to post goal promotion standards and make sure their constant software.
Bringing up Ogun State for example, Ojutalayo counseled the Leader Pass judgement on, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, whose occupation advanced from the magistracy to the Top Courtroom Bench and in the end to the location of Leader Pass judgement on.
He recalled that Dipeolu started her occupation as a Justice of the Peace, was once increased to the Top Courtroom in 1999 and was once sworn in as Leader Pass judgement on in October 2018.
In her cope with, Dipeolu instructed magistrates to prioritise skilled building, competence and diligence.
She mentioned she understood the calls for of the place of job and magistrates’ aspirations for promotion however cautioned towards permitting such expectancies to decrease the standard in their provider.
“Your present place isn’t a ready room for every other appointment; it’s an place of job of substantial duty in its personal proper,” she mentioned.
She instructed magistrates to pay attention patiently to litigants, follow the regulation accurately, set up court cases relatively and ship well-reasoned choices. She additionally inspired them to include technological traits to allow them to take care of digital transactions, cybercrime, on-line fraud and electronically saved information.
Additionally talking, the Leader Registrar of the Ogun State Top Courtroom, Olakulehin Luqman Oke, referred to as on magistrates to form the way forward for the magistracy via integrity, innovation and high quality justice supply.
He cautioned towards depending only on generation or the goodwill of the ones controlling sources.
“We will have to call for ok amenities, welfare, coaching, clear occupation development and institutional recognize. Those are reliable necessities of an efficient judiciary, no longer private favours,” Oke mentioned.