Senate Moves To Increase Supreme Court Justices To 30 Amid Case Backlog
The Nigerian Senate is considering a bill to expand the number of Supreme Court Justices from 21 to 30, in an effort to address the overwhelming backlog of cases at the nation’s apex court.
Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo West), who is sponsoring the bill, disclosed this on Friday during a press conference in Abuja while marking his two years in the 10th National Assembly.
He said the current number of justices is grossly inadequate despite the recent appointment of 11 new justices in 2023 that brought the bench to its full constitutional complement.
“Even with 21 justices, the court is swamped. Some litigants are being assigned hearing dates in 2027 and 2028,” Izunaso said.
He explained that increasing the number to 30 would allow the court to form multiple panels, speeding up the judicial process.
“Justices sit in panels of five, or seven for constitutional issues. With 30 justices, we can form five panels at once and attend to more cases efficiently,” he added.
Beyond expanding the bench, the lawmaker is pushing for reforms to limit the type of cases that reach the Supreme Court, which he says is currently clogged with minor matters.
“Village land disputes, tenancy squabbles and divorce cases shouldn’t be reaching the apex court,” he said.
“These should end at the Highest Court level. The Supreme Court should handle matters of national or constitutional importance like terrorism, homicide, and corruption.”
Izunaso described the current practice as wasteful and blamed it for slowing down the delivery of justice.
He cited a personal case involving deceased parties that still appeared on the Supreme Court docket years after a resolution had been reached by the families.
While some have called for regional Supreme Courts, the senator rejected the idea, insisting on a single, national court with stricter filtration at lower levels.
“A unitary Supreme Court maintains our judicial cohesion. What we need is reform at the lower courts, not fragmentation of the apex court,” he argued.
Meanwhile, Izunaso commended President Bola Tinubu for posthumously honouring Professor Humphrey Nwosu, former NEC Chairman, with a national award during the June 12 Democracy Day celebration.
He described the recognition as long overdue and urged the president to name the INEC headquarters after Nwosu.
“I stood for that motion even when it failed in the Senate. Today, we are vindicated,” he said.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
