Bauchi Records 189 Homicide, Rape, Kidnapping Cases 1 Year

The Bauchi State Ministry of Justice has said that it recorded nothing less than 75 homicide cases, 28 kidnapping cases and 86 cases of rape in the 2024-2025 legal year.

Commissioner of the Ministry, who is also the State’s Attorney General, Hassan Usman, SAN, said this in Bauchi on Tuesday during the commencement of the 2025-2026 legal year ceremony.

“In criminal cases from January to date, we received a total of 91 robbery cases, as against last year which was 83 and we received 75 homicide cases.

“We were served with motions for bails and other motions totalling about 256 and we received about 86 rape cases and 28 kidnapping cases.

“In total, we received a total number of 592 criminal cases and out of this number, 97 have been disposed of, 15 were discharged through legal advice, 454 are pending,” the Commissioner stated.

According to him, given the high volume of cases recorded, the Ministry developed strategies to fast-track prosecutions in line with the administration of criminal justice law that emphasises speedy trials by setting timelines of filing charges in court and proceedings.

While explaining that Governor Bala Mohammed approved the release of N7.8 million for the purchase of law and other practice books for thr Ministry’s Library, Usman added that Governor Mohammed also approved the release of monthly funds to settle all outstanding judgement debts owed by the state government.

He appreciated the governor for his benevolence, unwavering commitment and exceptional support for the Ministry of Justice in the state.

Speaking earlier, the State’s Chief Judge, Justice Rabi Umar, lamented the recurrent practice of arraigning suspects in court without proper preliminary investigations.

She added that in many cases, efforts to gather evidence were only initiated after the trial had begun.

“This backward approach to criminal prosecution significantly delays the process and undermines the delivery of justice.

“It is unacceptable that in 2025, we continue to see such practices, which contributed to the overwhelming backlog of cases in our courts and ultimately eroded public confidence in the Justice System.

“To resolve this and other identified lapses, a Committee was set up to review the Bauchi State Administration of Criminal Justice Law and come up with a Draft Law that will stand the test of time,” she said.

The CJ, however, affirmed that any lawyer that didn’t adhere to the prescribed dress code for legal practitioners in the state would not be permitted to appear in court, adding that such a disregard for professional decorum undermines the prestige and global respect that the legal profession commands.

On his part, Governor Bala Mohammed said that the three arms of government in the state had been working harmoniously and in synergy without compromising their constitutional autonomy.

Represented by his deputy, Auwal Jatau, the governor said that he has been giving the two other arms of government the necessary support and cooperation to ensure that they all operate optimally without any hindrance.