A Judge, presiding the Magajin Gari Shari’a Court in Kaduna State, Malam Anas Khalifa, says he plans to establish an independent legal centre in the state.
Khalifa made the disclosure on Monday during a courtesy visit to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Kaduna Zonal Office.
He said that the centre, named ‘AK Center for Legal Education’, comprises classrooms, lecture halls, hostels , offices, recreation hall, a Mosque, clinic and a printing press .
“The centre will be an avenue for deep rooted research programmes on the provisions of Islamic Law and the emerging waves of global challenges.
” This is as they affect smooth application of Shari’ah principles in courts within the spheres of the Nigerian Legal System provisions.
“There would be legal training programmes for judges both new and old, lawyers, law students and others,” Khalifa said.
According to him, when launched, it would be the first independent legal centre in Northern Nigeria and would be providing periodic seminars for judges, lawyers, law students and others.
He added that quarterly law reporting of Shari’a related cases and periodic publication of Islamic law journals would be part of the activities of the center.
The judge stated that a law firm for legal aid initiative, counseling and mediation programmes for pre-marital, marital and communal disputes would be domiciled at the centre.
Khalifa explained that there would be daily Mosque activities, which would comprise lessons on the sources of Islamic law such as the Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijma’ and the Maliki jurisprudence .
He stated that Arabic classes would also be taught at the centre.
On his part ,the Zonal Manager, Kaduna, Malam Bashir Rabe-Mani said that NAN has large coverage across Nigeria and beyond, adding that the agency would support the centre with the necessary publications.
He commended the judge for bringing a legal centre close to the people so as to ensure the speedy and effective dispensation of justice.(NAN)
