FESTUS KEYAMO: I’ll Unbundle The Supreme Court If Appointed AGF

A ministerial nominee, Festus Keyamo has expressed his resolve to unbundle the Supreme Court if appointed the next Attorney General of the Federation, AGF and Minister of Justice of the country.

Keyamo is a lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.

He stated this today during the senate ministerial screening why responding to a question from the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo Agege.

While noting that he will be ready to serve in any capacity the President, Muhammadu Buhari wants him to serve, Keyamo maintained that if however made the next AGF, his first task in office will be to decongest the apex court.

He said: “I will be prepared to serve in any capacity the president wants me to serve. But if am made AGF I have the idea I call the three Ds, that will be at the heart of judicial reforms, the three D’s. And the first D is the decongestion of the Supreme Court. The second will be the decongestion of the prisons and the third one will be the decongestion of court listing across the country that is linked directly to speedy trails.

“As to the decongestion of the Supreme Court, I will not occupy the office of AGF for four years without unbundling the Supreme Court. That will be my first task, to unbundle the Supreme Court.

“Our supreme court is the busiest Supreme Court in the world, and that is unacceptable. The kinds of cases that go on to our supreme courts are scandalous, interlocutory appeals. Appeals dealing with frivolous matters.

“And I think this country is big enough to have six regional supreme courts where appeals coming from those regions will end there, in land matters, contract matters and all of that. You won’t believe that a case of assault will go to the Supreme Court, and that is why today cases of the supreme courts are pending there for the last ten to fifteen years. Justice delayed is justice denied.

“The bar of the Supreme Court as we speak is filled up till 2022. You can’t get a date at the Supreme Court till 2022, except political cases. So I don’t know why it has not been possible to establish regional supreme courts. And so the Supreme Court in Abuja will only enter constitutional matters, political matters etc.,” he added.

He further advocated that magistrates should be empowered to grant bails if there is no proof of evidence against accused persons, so that prisons can be decongested.

Keyamo also talked about activism “Governance is activism. I don’t want to die without making a loud statement for the poor and downtrodden.”

After responding to other questions put forward before him, the senate then asked him to take a bow and go.