Lagos CJ recruits 47 sheriffs through back door
Pauline Efe I Monday, Dec. 10, 2018
LAGOS, Nigeria – The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke, on Monday presided over the induction of 47 newly-recruited court sheriffs, charging them to shun corruption and be above board. The court sheriffs are responsible for serving court papers on litigants as well as enforcing the orders and judgments of the court.
We gathered that the sheriffs were secretly recruited. Justice Oke, at the induction, which took place on the premises of the Lagos State H
igh Court in Ikeja, noted that the sheriffs were critical to the smooth running and efficiency of the justice system, as the court could not assume jurisdiction without the proper service of the originating processes. She explained that the recruitment and training of the new court sheriffs were targetted at overhauling the old order characterised by “complaints of delays in service, failure to serve, falsification of affidavits of service, delays in reporting service, laziness, ineptitude, corruption, etc”.
The Chief Judge said the recruitment was part of her administration’s “wide range of far-reaching innovations” to address the some of the lapses in the justice system.
“You are a new breed. You represent a new dispensation in the Sheriff Corps, and by the Grace of the Almighty God, you have come in at this time to breathe new life and, by God’s grace, to change the old order.You cannot afford to blend with the system. You are expected to stand out, you are expected to stand for what is right at all times. Shun all forms of corruption and take your jobs seriously,” the CJ told the new recruits, while noting that a number of the old sheriffs had been dismissed for unethical conducts.
At the ceremony, the 47 new sheriffs were presented with certificates, marking their completion of a three-week induction course, which they reportedly took at the Lagos State Judiciary Training School.
