In a major push to tackle mounting case backlogs and accelerate the delivery of justice, the Senate has begun the process of significantly expanding the manpower of Nigeria’s superior courts, advancing legislation that would add 60 new judicial officers to the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.
The proposed reforms, which sailed through second reading during plenary, seek to increase the number of judges of the Federal High Court from 70 to 90 and raise the complement of justices of the Court of Appeal from 70 to 110.
The bills, sponsored by Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), received overwhelming support from lawmakers who argued that the nation’s judicial institutions have become overstretched under the weight of rising litigation, economic expansion, electoral disputes and increasingly complex governance challenges.
If passed into law, the measures would represent one of the most significant expansions of judicial capacity in recent years.
Leading debate on the bills, Bamidele said Nigeria’s courts are struggling to keep pace with the growing demands being placed on them and warned that failure to strengthen judicial capacity could undermine access to justice and public confidence in the legal system.
“The justice sector must be adequately equipped with the human and material resources required to discharge its constitutional responsibilities effectively,” he said.
He described the Federal High Court as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s judicial architecture, with exclusive jurisdiction over some of the country’s most sensitive and economically strategic matters, including taxation, banking, customs, aviation, telecommunications, intellectual property, money laundering, terrorism financing, oil and gas operations, immigration and election-related disputes.
According to him, the court’s caseload has expanded dramatically in recent years, fuelled by rapid economic growth, technological innovation, cybercrime, anti-corruption prosecutions and increasingly sophisticated commercial transactions.
“The existing number of judges has become inadequate,” Bamidele said, noting that congested dockets and prolonged delays in the determination of cases have become recurring challenges.
He argued that increasing the number of judges would not only reduce the backlog of cases but also strengthen anti-corruption efforts, improve investor confidence and enhance the administration of justice in specialised sectors of the economy.
“It is a strategic intervention aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Federal High Court to meet the growing demand of a dynamic and rapidly evolving nation,” he added.
The proposal received strong backing from the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Tahir Monguno (Borno North), who said the Federal High Court has long advocated an expansion of its bench to cope with its expanding jurisdiction.
“Justice delayed is justice denied, and justice should not only be done but be seen manifestly to be done,” Monguno said.
The Senate also turned its attention to the Court of Appeal, which lawmakers described as increasingly burdened by a surge in appeals emanating from lower courts and tribunals across the federation.
Bamidele noted that the appellate court occupies a strategic position in the justice system, serving as the bridge between trial courts and the Supreme Court while acting as the final court in certain categories of cases.
He said the growing number of electoral disputes, constitutional matters, commercial litigation and institutional cases has stretched the court’s capacity beyond sustainable limits.
“The consequence has been a substantial backlog of cases, prolonged delays in the hearing and determination of appeals and increased pressure on judicial officers,” he told senators.
Beyond increasing the number of justices from 70 to 110, the bill seeks to modernise appellate adjudication through the introduction of virtual court proceedings and the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre within the Court of Appeal.
According to Bamidele, virtual proceedings have become an established feature of modern judicial systems worldwide, particularly following their successful deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that the proposed ADR centre would provide litigants with alternative pathways to resolve disputes without lengthy courtroom battles, thereby easing pressure on the court and promoting faster settlements.
Describing the reforms as long overdue, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi (Ebonyi North) said the increasing volume of appeals before the court made the expansion inevitable.
“Considering the workload before the Court of Appeal, it goes without saying that there is a need to increase the number of judges in that court. This will increase the general output of the court,” he said.
The two bills were subsequently referred to the relevant Senate committees for further legislative work.
The Senate’s move comes amid growing concerns within the legal community over prolonged delays in court proceedings, rising litigation costs and mounting pressure on judicial officers, with stakeholders increasingly calling for structural reforms to enable the judiciary to respond more effectively to the demands of a rapidly evolving society.