Senate passes bills to raise Federal High Court judges and Appeal justices
The Senate passed two bills on Wednesday that seek to increase the number of Federal High Court judges from 70 to 90 and Court of Appeal justices from 70 to 110. Sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, the bills were approved during plenary and announced by Senate President Godswill Akpabio before being sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters for further review. Bamidele argued that the rise in economic activity, cybercrime, anti‑corruption prosecutions and technological complexity has swollen court dockets, causing prolonged delays and higher litigation costs. He said the reforms would also introduce virtual court proceedings and an Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre within the Court of Appeal to ease congestion and speed up case disposal. If enacted, the changes could reduce the backlog of civil, commercial and criminal matters that often linger for years, improve access to justice and bolster public confidence in the judiciary. Legal experts have long linked Nigeria’s case delays to an insufficient number of judges relative to filings nationwide. Will these expansions actually cut case backlogs and deliver faster justice for ordinary Nigerians, or will implementation hurdles blunt their impact?