Federal High Court Judges commence annual vacation July 28

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The Judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria will embark on their annual vacation on Monday, 28 July 2025.

A statement made available to newsmen on Thursday by the Director of Information of the court, Dr Catherine Oby Christopher, stated that the court will resume sitting on Wednesday, 17 September 2025.

During the vacation period, she said the core divisions—Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt Judicial Divisions—will remain functional for cases of extreme urgency, adding that the litigating public will be at liberty to approach only the listed courts located nearest to them.

According to the statement, the Vacation Judges for the Abuja Division are Justices Emeka Nwite and M. S. Liman, while Justices Deinde I. Dipeolu and Musa Kakaki will sit as Vacation Judges for the Lagos Division.

The Port Harcourt Division of the court will have Justices P. M. Ayua and A. T. Mohammed as Vacation Judges.

The statement said: *”By virtue of the provisions of Order 46, Rule 4 (d) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Honourable Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, in an official circular, announced the 2025 Annual Vacation and Roster for Vacation Judges.

“The vacation will commence from Monday, 28 July 2025, to Tuesday, 16 September 2025. The Court shall resume sitting on Wednesday, 17 September 2025.”*

In another development, the court announced that its e-filing platform will become operational in the Lagos Division with effect from 23 June 2025.

In view of this, a statement by the Chief Registrar of the court, Sulaiman Amida Hassan, Esq, indicated that the final date for the manual filing of new cases in the Judicial Division shall end on 20 June 2025.

The Chief Registrar noted that all cases instituted prior to the go-live date shall continue to be processed manually until judgment is delivered and those matters are finally disposed of.

*”Any lawyer who, either deliberately or inadvertently, understates the amount claimed or incorrectly declares the number or type of documents filed, thereby causing an under-assessment of prescribed fees, shall be liable to pay the balance due together with a penalty in the sum of N10,000 for each filing.

“To ensure a seamless transition, all legal practitioners are required to obtain their Legal Mail accounts before the go-live date, as possession of a Legal Mail address is a mandatory prerequisite for access to the e-filing platform.

“Lawyers can visit and apply for their Legal Mail. Documents that require an oath must be submitted to the Court via the e-affidavit platform (https://affidavit.courts.gov.ng), and the deponent must appear before the Commissioner for Oaths for the administration of the oath.

“It shall be necessary for each law chamber to upload all relevant documents relating to its registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on the e-filing platform while creating the Chambers’ profile.”*

The statement also announced that a two-day interactive session on the e-filing system shall be convened during the week of 16 to 20 June 2025. The precise date, time, and venue shall be communicated in due course.

“All legal practitioners are enjoined to be guided accordingly and to ensure strict compliance,” the Chief Registrar stated.

Meanwhile, the court has announced the death of its former Chief Judge, Justice Daniel Dantsoho Abutu.

According to family sources, he died on 3 June 2025 after a brief illness. He hailed from Kogi State and was born on 15 March 1946.

The Chief Registrar of the court noted that the late Chief Judge served the Court and the Nation with distinction and was known for his unwavering commitment to justice and administrative excellence.

He added that his leadership and contributions have left indelible marks on the Judiciary and the legal community at large, extending the condolences of the court to his family, colleagues, friends, and all who were touched by his exemplary life and service.

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