Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Mr. John Gaul-Lebo, has said the state laws would soon be reviewed to meet current realities.
The speaker said this in Calabar on Saturday while speaking on the legislative agenda of the 8th Assembly.
He said the laws of the state were last reviewed in 2004 and till date they are in six volumes when they ought to have been in 22 volumes.
Gaul-Lebo said, “The laws were last reviewed in 2004. Between 2004 and now, about 120 laws have been enacted but they are still not enough. Laws of Cross River only have six volumes but it should be having 22 volumes.”
According to Lebo, some of the laws were enacted as far back as 1976 by the military and still have provisions for pound sterling and shillings, a situation he described as embarrassing to the state.
The Speaker said, “Some of the laws in Cross Rive State still have penalties provided in pound sterling; others still have provision for 50 shillings. The offense of kidnapping is one year, six months in the first instance, and when you kidnap the second time, they give you three years. And you know in the consolidated counting procedure in prison terms, day and night are calculated as different days.
“The reason why you are finding many kidnappers running into the state is because kidnapping is a bailable offense. It is considered as a non-indictable offense so they can grant you bail immediately, even on self recognition as a kidnapper. These laws were passed as far back as 1976 as military laws and we think it is an embarrassment.”
He observed that many states in the federation have since reviewed their laws to meet current challenges and to reposition their states for better governance, arguing that Cross River cannot afford to be left behind.
To do this, the speaker said, the House would assist in repositioning the Law Reform Commission in the state to live up to its expectation and work on those laws that will engender development and create a peaceful atmosphere in the state.
