By Uchenna Ugwu
Abakaliki – An Abakaliki-based legal practitioner, Mr Sunday Ununu, has urged the Police Service Commission(PSC) to recruit sufficient lawyers for the police legal department in order to enhance justice delivery.
Ununu who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Monday in Abakaliki, said recruitment of lawyers would also boost prison decongestion.
He also stressed the need for good welfare package for lawyers already employed by the Police.
Ununu noted that insufficient manpower, poor remuneration of Police legal officers and other factors needed to be addressed to boost justice delivery.
He attributed the high rate of prison congestion to poor handling of criminal cases in court by non-lawyers.
According to him, engaging services of non-professionals for prosecution delays justice delivery, because some prosecutors cannot cite laws when issues of laws are presented.
“I suggest that government should employ more lawyers through the ministry of justice, while welfare packages of its staff should be reviewed in line with their counterparts in magistrates’ courts,’’ he stressed.