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Senate Passes Court of Appeal Amendment Bill to Increase Serving Justices From 90 To 110

Senate Passes Court of Appeal Amendment Bill to Increase Serving Justices From 90 To 110
September 27, 2022

It was gathered that the Senate started considering the amendment of the bill since March 2021.

The Nigerian Senate has approved a bill for an act to amend the Court of Appeal Act to add more judges to the appellate court.

The recently passed bill will bring the total number of judges on the court from 90 to 110, allow for the appointment of judges from lower courts, and allow for the establishment of additional judicial divisions.

It was gathered that the Senate started considering the amendment of the bill since March 2021.

The bill which was sponsored by Hon. Onofiok Luke from Akwa Ibom State, reads: “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Court of Appeal Act, Cap. C36, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to increase the number of justices of the Court and provide for appointment of a Minimum of six justices in every judicial division of the court for speedy and efficient justice delivery and to Improve Citizens’ Access to Justice; and for Related Matters (HB. 809)”.

Chukwuka Utazi, senator representing Enugu North, said the amendment would bring the court of appeal closer to litigants and address allegations of marginalisation in the appointment of the judges, according to TheCable.

The National Judicial Council (NJC) had also recommended 18 judges to President Muhammadu Buhari for elevation to the court of appeal.

But Utazi said while the number is small, “only 20 justices can be appointed at the moment except its principal act is amended.”

He said the court of appeal currently had only 17 divisions with less than 70 justices across the country.

He continued: “The court of appeal is suffering from chronic congestion and has backlog of cases due to the volume of appeals in its backlog,” the lawmaker said.

“In spite of its enormous responsibility, its composition has lagged behind the dispensation of the volume of appeals as litigants often have to wait for several years for their appeals to be heard.”

Stephen Odey from Cross River North agreed with Utazi’s submission, saying that “one of the greatest challenges we have in our judiciary today is the number of justices to address litigations.”

“The court of appeal is very strategic,” he said, adding that “I stand to support this bill in totality.”