In one year, the Appeal Court issues 7,295 judgements and decisions on 3,665 motions.

 

In the 2022–2023 legal year, the Court of Appeal issued a total of 7,295 decisions and rulings on 3,665 motions, according to information provided on Monday by Justice Monica Dongben-Mensem, the court's president.

The announcement was delivered by Justice Dongben-Mensen during a celebration at the court's headquarters to mark the start of the 2023–2024 New Legal Year.

She noted that 1,209 petitions were filed against the general elections in 2023, and 98 panels were established to hear election petitions across the nation.

Five of the petitions, according to her, were submitted to the Presidential Election Petition Court and have since been resolved. Some of the 147 petitions submitted to the Senatorial Election Tribunal have also been delivered, while 417 petitions from the House of Representatives election are also being handled.

In addition, she stated that 83 petitions related to the gubernatorial elections as well as 557 applications related to state houses of assembly were being disposed of. She also stated that while petitions were filed in 24 states, 28 states participated in the gubernatorial elections.

The Court of Appeal's President claims that the Abuja Division is currently overburdened with numerous documents and is in need of enough storage space and office space.

In order to expand the Abuja Division, she pleaded with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, or FCT, to provide a sizable piece of land.

Speaking at the occasion, Kanu Agabi, SAN, a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, noted that Nigeria's continuing survival heavily hinges on the openness with which judicial officials carry out their judicial duties.

Judges were urged by Agabi to be confident in their abilities despite difficulties.

Speaking on behalf of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, BOSAN, the former AGF claimed that the nation has been preserved throughout the years by the contributions of judicial officials.

Agabi pointed out that judicial officials continue to face unjustified attacks and criticism despite their contributions and sacrifices for the country's survival.

He issued a dire warning, stating that the nation would perish if the unfair attacks on judicial officials are not stopped.

"Only here do court officers put in more labour than slaves and still go unappreciated. The good news is that Nigerian judges are a good match for the demons they are up against.

"We must be proud of our Justices, whether we like it or not. They are daring and brilliant, and several of them have been appointed as judges in other nations.

"A mistake made by one Justice should not be used as precedent to condemn everyone in general. They are superior to judges from other nations. They should be commended for battling the evils.

The majority of judicial officers are still standing in the face of adversities, and he warned that if we don't exercise caution in how we criticize judges, we would lose our heads and our morals.

Those who criticize judicial personnel are free to do so, he said, but they must exercise caution in how they do it. He also added that in criticizing the judiciary, they must refrain from using abusive language.

The former justice minister spoke out against placing draconian bail requirements on suspects.

He pointed out that because they are presumed innocent unless proven guilty, setting unreasonable bail terms that hold them in detention is illegal.

He asserted that "we need not criticize bail conditions that are impossible to meet because the principles governing bail conditions are the same as fine governed by the constitution."

He pressed the country's AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to use his position to enhance the welfare and working circumstances of the nation's judges.

Fagbemi stated in his speech that President Bola Tinubu's administration will deal with the issue of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court's lack of justices.