The bill to establish Christian Courts in Nigeria has passed the second reading at the Federal House of Representatives today.
The bill in question seeks to provide for the establishment of an Ecclesiastical Court of Appeal in the country.
The bill was sponsored by Hon. Gyang Dung (PDP-Plateau) and eight others.
Presenting the bill during plenary, Dung said that the Ecclesiastical courts when established would complement the regular courts in adjudicating in matters relating to the tenets of the Christian faith.
According to him, this shall be between individuals and groups that yield and submit to its jurisdiction.
Dung explained that the Ecclesiastical court shall exercise such appellate and supervisory jurisdiction in civil proceedings involving questions of Ecclesiastical law and Christian personal law.
“It will bring to reality the administration of Ecclesiastical Christian tenets and law in adjudicating matters of personal Christian law and civil matters. These shall be prescribed in the rule of practice and procedure of the Ecclesiastical courts,’’ he added.
“It will also entails freedom to propagate one’s religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance,’’ Dung said.
He said that Cardinal who will serve as judges of the Ecclesiastical court shall be drawn from those learned in law.
They shall be required to administer justice in accordance with the Christian faith and the law of the nation.
Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara referred the bill to the Special ad hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 constitution.
