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A bill seeking to increase the number of judges of the high court of the federal capital territory (FCT) has passed second reading at the house of representatives.
The proposed legislation intends to amend section 1b of the FCT High Court Act, to increase the number of judges from 75 to a minimum of 100.
The bill is sponsored by Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker, and five other lawmakers — Kama Nkemkanma, Jonathan Gbefwi, Chinedu Obika, Jafaru Leko, Babajimi Benson, Akin Rotimi, and Joshua Gana.
Leading the debate during plenary on Thursday, Kalu said the FCT high court is “limited” in the number of judges to handle the bulk of cases before it.
The lawmaker said the “inadequacy significantly affects” the rising volume and complexity of cases brought before the court.
“At the beginning of the 2022/2023 legal year, the FCT high court carried forward 12,513 pending cases from the previous year, underscoring a substantial backlog,” he said.
“Over the same period, the court assigned an additional 5,952 new cases, bringing the workload to a level that greatly strains available judicial resources.”
He said the current number of judges is insufficient to keep up with caseloads in the court.
“The considerable backlog reflects the limitations faced by the court in addressing the high volume of cases, which is only anticipated to increase with Abuja’s population growth and economic development,” he said.
“Given the rapid expansion of Abuja’s population, coupled with an increasing caseload spanning various legal domains, the need for additional judges has become pressing.
“This amendment Bill is therefore introduced to address these systemic challenges by increasing the statutory number of judges for the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.”
Kalu said increasing the number of judges will reduce the delays in case resolution, ensuring efficient handling of cases, and consequently, enhancing public confidence in the judiciary.
Lawmakers voted in support of the bill when it was put to a voice vote by Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house.
