Akwa Ibom Justice Ministry Pursues 3,264 Cases, Drafts 420 Govt Documents — Attorney-general
By Imoh Essien (Uyo)
The Akwa Ibom State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Essien Udom, SAN, says the Ministry of Justice has recorded major strides in 2026 in line with the ARISE Agenda of Governor Umo Bassey Eno.
Presenting the Ministry's scorecard at the Ministerial Press Briefing in Uyo on Thursday, Udom said the Ministry has a core responsibility to provide legal services to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.
He listed the services to include prosecution and defence of civil and criminal matters in all courts across the country, rendering legal advice on all issues of law, drafting and vetting of agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Bills and subsidiary legislations, as well as other legal documentation for government transactions.
According to him, the mandate also extends to administration of estates, settlement of disputes and prevention of Gender-Based Violence in the state.
The Attorney-General noted that the work portfolio of the Ministry of Justice is subsumed under the security component of the ARISE Agenda of the present administration.
He attributed the high output in key performance indicators across core departments to the release of funds for case management and payment of professional fees to external solicitors by the Governor.
"Under my supervision, the Ministry has drafted 420 documents for government and is currently pursuing 3,264 criminal and civil cases in courts across the country," Udom stated.
He highlighted other achievements of the Ministry to include:
- Ongoing collation of laws enacted in 2025 and 2026
- Publication of 2nd, 3rd and 4th editions of Ibom Justice Digest
- Recruitment of 25 new Law Officers and procurement of work tools
- Ongoing construction of Court of Appeal building in the State
- Impactful collaboration with justice sector stakeholders
- Enactment of law to establish the Office of the Public Defender
- Successful hosting of the 2026 NBA Section on Business Law, Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Committee Retreat and Roundtable
Udom further disclosed that the Ministry has organised capacity building through in-house training for State Law Officers and justice sector stakeholders, and partnered with the Federal Ministry of Justice to train key personnel on the implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) and related laws.
He added that the Ministry has worked assiduously to decongest correctional centres in the state, gazetted laws enacted from 2023 to 2025, and embarked on digitalisation of the Ministry.
The Attorney-General said the giant strides recorded in 2026 were in support of the leadership and development vision of His Excellency, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno.
