The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in the Upper East Region, Anthony Namoo, has raised serious concerns about the state of justice delivery in the region, revealing that the entire Upper East Region currently has only one magistrate and one Legal Aid lawyer serving thousands of residents.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s DayBreak Upper East show, Mr Namoo described the situation as alarming and detrimental to access to justice, particularly for vulnerable and low-income citizens.
According to him, several courts across the region remain non-functional, including those in Bawku, Garu, Pusiga and Zebilla, largely due to security challenges and staffing shortages.
“We only have one magistrate in the entire region. Bawku District and Circuit Courts are closed, Garu is closed, Pusiga is closed, Zebilla District Court is closed, and Bongo has no judge,” he disclosed.
The legal practitioner explained that the closure of courts has forced residents to travel long distances to seek justice, increasing legal costs and prolonging the adjudication of cases.
He further lamented the state of Legal Aid services in the region, indicating that only one lawyer currently serves both the Upper East and Northern Regions.
“Virtually, we do not have Legal Aid. There is only one lawyer, and he is combining the Upper East and Northern Regions. That is a very serious challenge,” he stated.
Mr Namoo called on the Judicial Service and government to urgently deploy more judges, magistrates and Legal Aid officers to the region to improve justice delivery and reduce delays in court proceedings.
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