The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem on Monday disclosed that the court delivered a total of 7,295 judgments and rulings on 3,665 motions in the 2022/2023 legal year.
The Appeal Court President, disclosed this while speaking in Abuja at a special court session to mark the commencement of the 2023/2024 legal year of the court, recalled that a total of 98 panels were constituted to hear the 1,209 election petitions that were filed across the country.
Among the petitions, he said, five were filed at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) which have been heard and judgement delivered, while judgement in some of the 147 petitions filed at the Senatorial Election Petition Tribunal have been delivered and 417 petitions from the House of Representatives election are also being attended to.
She also said a total of 557 petitions associated with the State Houses of Assembly and 83 Gubernatorial Elections petitions are being disposed of, adding that twenty-eight States participated in the Governorship elections and petitions were filed in 24 states.
According to Justice Dongban-Mensem, the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal is currently overwhelmed by voluminous documents and suffers from a lack of adequate storage facilities and office space.
The Appeal Court boss therefore appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike to provide a large piece of land for the construction of the Abuja Division of the appellate court.
Speaking earlier, a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Kanu Agabi (SAN) said Nigeria’s continued survival depends greatly on the transparency of judicial officers in the discharge of their constitutional judicial duties.
Agabi, who appealed to Judges and Justices in the country not to lose confidence and principles in themselves no matter the challenges before them, applauded the contributions of judicial officers in the past years which he said, have kept the country intact and free from chaos and anarchy.
The former AGF and Justice Minister noted that, despite the contributions and sacrifices of judicial officers to the survival of the country, they are still been attacked and criticised and
warned that the country would be doomed unless the unjust attacks against judicial officers are stopped.
He said, “It is only here that judicial officers work harder than slaves and yet, they are not appreciated. But, the consolation is that the Judges in Nigeria are attached to the devil they are contending with. Whether we like it or not, we have to be proud of our Judges and Justices. They are brilliant and bold and some of them are appointed as Justices in other countries.
“A mistake by one Judge should not be generalised to warrant general condemnation from any quarter. They surpass Judges from other countries. They deserve commendation for resisting the evils. The majority of judicial officers are standing in the face of challenges and unless we are careful with the way we attack Judges, we will lose our minds and conscience”, he added.
He said even though people are at liberty to criticise judicial officers, they need to be cautious in the way they go about it adding that, while criticising the judiciary, they must not abuse it.
Speaking against granting of outlandish bail conditions to suspected criminals, Agabi said, the law presumes them innocent until proven guilty by the court adding that, granting of outlandish bail that will keep suspects in custody is unconstitutional.
He challenged the current AGF to use his office to improve the welfare and work conditions of judicial officers.
In his speech, the AGF and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) said that President Bola Tinubu’s administration will address the issue of shortage of Justices at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
He said the occasion of the opening of a new legal year is an important solemn occasion in the legal system and a crucial annual landmark in the judicial calendar.
Fagbemi assured that he will use his office as the Chief Legal Officer of the country, to attend to the needs of the Judiciary of the country.
Commissioning of the Court of Appeal Fire station and Training Center by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola was part of the activities marking the 2023/2024 legal year of the Court.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Olayemi Ojeokun is a Nigerian US-based scholar, agronomist, and sustainability advocate. In this interview by…
In Nigeria’s political evolution, perhaps no strategy has been abused more than the “politics of…
Afrobeats sensation Davido and American R&B star Chris Brown are gearing up for a massive…
•Someone called my son an imbecile on X –Bovi Africa’s first-ever talk concert, WithChude Live,…
Every family in Nigeria has been advised to ensure they have an engineer, particularly a…
"We remain unwavering in our commitment to policies that promote employee welfare, workplace safety, and…
This website uses cookies.