Nigerian Judiciary Gets Boost as Bill to Increase FCT High Court Judges Passes Second Reading

A bill to increase the number of judges in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory High Court has passed its second reading in the House of Representatives. The proposed legislation, sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and six other lawmakers, aims to amend Section 1B of the FCT High Court Act to raise the number of judges from 75 to a minimum of 100.

This move is driven by the urgent need to address the growing backlog of cases. At the start of the 2022/2023 legal year, the FCT High Court had 12,513 pending cases, with an additional 5,952 new cases assigned during the same period. This substantial workload strains the available judicial resources.

The bill’s progression to the committee stage for further deliberation marks a significant step towards providing much-needed relief to the FCT judiciary. If enacted, this amendment would help alleviate the judiciary’s workload and improve the overall efficiency of the legal system.