Justice delivery is only as strong as the people who run the courts. In Katsina State, the Chief Judge, Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar, is warning that the machinery is thinning out, and he wants the state government to open the doors of employment in the judiciary.
Presenting the judiciary's performance report for the preceding legal year, the Chief Judge appealed for additional recruitment to address shortages of registrars, court clerks, interpreters and other essential personnel. The Blueprint headline put the judiciary's caseload at about 86,000 registered cases and its manpower need at 270 additional staff.
The shortfall is not abstract. More than 270 judicial staff left service between 2018 and July 2026, creating significant manpower gaps across the courts. Retirements and exits have not been matched by replacements. Each unfilled post for a clerk or interpreter means files that move slowly, hearings that are adjourned and litigants who wait longer.
The appeal is not a complaint against the government. The Chief Judge commended Governor Radda for supporting judicial appointments, staff promotions, training, healthcare coverage and the provision of official vehicles. His message is that this goodwill should now extend to recruitment.
The judiciary has also tried to ease its burden. The Multi-Door Court House handled 1,422 matters and resolved 1,194 through alternative dispute resolution. That shows what a well-run system can do. But alternative dispute resolution cannot replace the registrars, clerks and interpreters needed to run regular courts.
The timing matters. A year ago the Chief Judge warned that limited manpower and poor infrastructure leave courts struggling to keep pace with rising litigation driven by population growth and insecurity.
Since then, the security crisis has hit the bench itself. In July, he ordered judges serving in frontline local government areas to relocate to the state capital after bandit attacks and abduction attempts on judicial personnel. Concentrating courts in the capital raises the pressure on the staff who remain.
There is also an economic case. Recruiting court staff means jobs for Katsina's graduates and school leavers, in a state where youth employment is a pressing concern. A functioning judiciary also supports investor confidence, protects property rights and strengthens public trust in the rule of law.
The state government has a clear way forward. It should approve a structured recruitment drive, prioritizing registrars, clerks and interpreters, including Hausa-language interpreters, who are indispensable in a state where most litigants speak Hausa.
Recruitment should be merit-based and transparent, so that it builds confidence rather than suspicion.
Justice Danladi has put the need on record, and the Radda administration, which has been receptive to the judiciary, is well placed to answer. Courts without enough staff cannot deliver timely justice, however good the judges.
Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/Science communicator, Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,United States Institute of Peace (USIP), [email protected] +233555275880
Sources
Hamidu Sabo, "Katsina judiciary registered 86,000 cases, needs 270 additional staff – CJ," Blueprint, 20 October 2026. https://blueprint.ng/katsina-judiciary-registered-86000-cases-needs-270-additional-staff-cj/
Supports: the staff shortage, the 270+ departures from 2018 to July 2026, the recruitment appeal, the Multi-Door Court House figures and the praise for Governor Radda.
"Katsina Chief Judge: Poor Funding Threatening Judiciary's Independence," Leadership. https://leadership.ng/katsina-chief-judge-poor-funding-threatening-judiciarys-independence/
Supports: the earlier warning about limited manpower and rising litigation. The page was about 386 days old when I searched, so it dates from around October 2025.
"Judges Must Move To Capital: Katsina Chief Judge Details Narrow Escape Of Alkali…," Qubes Magazine, July 2026. https://www.qubesmagazine.com.ng/2026/07/arise-news-katsina-sharia-court-judge-kidnap-relocation.html
Supports: the relocation of frontline judges after bandit attacks and abduction attempts.
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