President Of Appeal Court Discloses 39,526 Pending Cases In Annual Address....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen, the President of the Court of Appeal, disclosed that the appellate court currently has 39,526 pending cases. This announcement was made during a ceremony marking the commencement of the 2023/2024 legal year.

In the 2022/2023 legal year, the Court of Appeal received a total of 7,295 appeals and 3,665 motions. Within the same period, 7,295 appeals and 3,665 motions were filed across the court’s 20 Divisions. Among these, 3,765 cases were resolved, and 5,617 motions were handled. Out of the appeals, 1,030 were dismissed, while 10,381 were granted. As of August 31, 2023, the court had accumulated 39,526 pending appeals, marking an increase from the 34,037 pending cases in the 2021/2022 Legal Year.

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Justice Dongban-Mensen noted that 98 panels were convened to adjudicate election petitions across the country, addressing a total of 1,209 petitions. Among these, five were related to presidential election petitions and have been concluded. Additionally, some of the 147 petitions filed at the Senatorial election tribunal have been resolved, and 417 petitions related to the House of Representatives election are currently under consideration.

She also mentioned that there are 557 petitions associated with State Houses of Assembly and 83 Gubernatorial Election petitions being addressed. These petitions involve 28 states that participated in the Governorship elections, with petitions filed in 24 states.

Justice Dongban-Mensen raised concerns about the Abuja Division being inundated with voluminous documents and lacking adequate storage facilities and office space. She appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to allocate a substantial piece of land for the construction of a new facility for the Abuja Division.

During the event, former Minister of Justice Mr. Kanu Agabi, SAN, stressed the crucial role of judicial officers’ transparency in ensuring Nigeria’s continued survival. He urged Judges and Justices not to waver in their principles, emphasizing the immense contributions and sacrifices they have made to keep the country stable and prevent chaos. Agabi called for an end to unwarranted attacks against judicial officers and warned that continued attacks could have dire consequences for the nation.

Agabi also spoke out against imposing excessive bail conditions on suspected criminals, stating that the law presumes their innocence until guilt is proven, and granting unconstitutional bail conditions that keep them in custody should be avoided.

Lastly, the Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, assured that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would address the shortage of Justices at both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.