‘Go To Lagos And See One Judge Having Up To 1000 Cases’, Official Makes Case For Appointment Of More Judges

All cases in courts may not be concluded speedily due to several factors including roles played by lawyers who represent their clients and lack of adequate judges,  an official of the Federal High Court of Nigeria has explained.

Catherine Oby Christopher (PhD), the Chief Information Officer, Federal High Court of Nigeria, in an exclusive interview with THE WHISTLER spoke on why some court cases drag in court for so long.

She said an important reason is the delay in the provision of witnesses or evidence during a matter by counsel representing the parties in a matter.

The inability of counsels to produce witnesses within given time, which may not necessarily be intentional, is one reason why cases drag.

“The judge is at the middle waiting to decide, so delay is not from the judge. The judge has to adjourn the case. My lords have to also look at their diaries to determine when the next adjourned date should be,” she said.

Another reason advanced by Christopher is that the number of judges operating within the justice system is too small to effectively and efficiently treat the cases on their table, and the processes filed on daily basis.

THE WHISTLER earlier reported that as at December 16, 2021, the FHC had 75 judges across its various divisions within the country.

Six additional judges would be appointed this year while the process for the appointment of 15 more FHC judges is ongoing.

But Christopher said there was need for the appointment of more judges to ease the strain on the available ones and to make dispensation of justice faster.

She said a situation where a judge of the court is having about 500-1000 cases “on their table” to handle is counterproductive, stressing that in Lagos State; a judge could have up to one thousand cases on his table to decide.

 “Go to Lagos division and see, one judge can have up to 1000 cases,” she revealed.

The judicial officer called on relevant authorities like the National Judicial Council to consider approving at least 150 more judges so that they can treat cases judiciously and expeditiously.