Yobe Launches Citizens’ Rights Directorate to Expand Access to Justice
By Najibullah Adamu
The Yobe State Government has launched a Directorate of Citizens’ Rights as part of ongoing efforts to protect human rights and improve access to justice across the state.
The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Saleh Samanja, disclosed this in an interview with journalists, highlighting the initiative as one of the key achievements of the current administration’s justice sector reforms.
According to Samanja, the government established the directorate in 2020 to address human rights violations and other sensitive cases that may not be effectively handled through conventional court processes.
He says the directorate handles complaints ranging from professional malpractice and breach of trust to rape, gender-based violence, and disputes over inheritance.
“Where we discover serious violations, we refer the matter to the police for investigation, after which we prosecute the suspects,” he said.
The commissioner noted that Yobe was among the first states in Nigeria to domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, adding that the state has secured several convictions involving rape, gender-based violence and related offences.
He urged residents, whose rights have been violated, to report such cases to the Ministry of Justice for intervention.
To bring justice services closer to residents, Samanja said the ministry had established additional offices in Potiskum, Nguru and Gashua, reducing the need for people to travel long distances to Damaturu to pursue legal matters.
He explained that congested legal services in the state capital often discouraged witnesses from participating in court proceedings due to the inconvenience of repeated travel.
The commissioner also revealed that the government planed to establish a Public Defender Office to provide free legal representation for indigent residents.
He said the ministry was currently offering legal assistance through state brief services.
In addition, Samanja disclosed that ministry lawyers had received training in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), while plans were underway to establish a Multi-Door Court to promote amicable settlement of disputes outside conventional litigation.
He added that the government had continued to invest in staff development and would soon distribute laptops to all 70 lawyers employed by the ministry to enhance productivity and service delivery.
