Area, magistrates’ courts stopped from issuing affidavits

The Nasarawa State Judiciary has directed all area courts in the state and magistrates’ courts in Mararaba, Gurku and Karu Local Government Areas to stop issuing statutory affidavits.
Enoch Maku, the Public Relations Officer of the state High Court Headquarters, said on Wednesday that issuance of the affidavits had been abused in those courts.
Maku spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lafia.
According to him, it has come to the knowledge of the management of the high court of justice in the state that the process of issuing some legal documents has been abused.
He listed the documents to include affidavits for declaration of age, marriage declaration change of name and loss of documents.
Maku told NAN that the management had restricted some courts from issuing the documents in order to streamline the process.
Maku said: “The restricted court are not authorised to issue them any longer.
“If any staff from the restricted courts is caught issuing these documents, he or she will be severely sanctioned.”
He said that investigations revealed that some judicial workers unlawfully issued the affidavits to unsuspecting members of the public without official receipts from the courts.
The spokesman added that some non-judicial workers also participate in the illegal issuance.
He regretted that the illegal acts had jeopardised revenue collection efforts of the state government.
According to him, the approved fees for the affidavits are: declaration of age, N500; marriage declaration, N200; loss of documents, N600; and change of name, N1000.
He urged members of the public to request for official receipts for the documents.