Supreme Court Handles 2,456 Cases In 2025/2026 Legal Year — CJN

The Supreme Court of Nigeria dealt with 2,456 issues throughout the 2025/2026 authorized yr, up from 2,280 recorded within the previous authorized yr, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has disclosed.

Kekere-Ekun made this identified on Monday whereas delivering her deal with on the particular session of the Supreme Court to mark the graduation of the 2026/2027 authorized yr.

According to the CJN, the apex court docket delivered 411 judgments throughout the interval underneath overview, in contrast with 369 judgments and rulings recorded within the earlier authorized yr.

She stated the figures mirrored the court docket’s stage of exercise however acknowledged that extra work remained to be executed, notably in addressing the rising variety of pending instances.

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“These figures provide a useful measure of institutional activity, but they cannot tell the full story,” she stated.

The CJN disclosed that the court docket had launched measures to handle its caseload and scale back the backlog, together with prioritising older instances, disposing of dormant issues and eradicating concluded instances from its lively docket.

She defined that the court docket’s e-diary workplace scheduled 1,385 issues for normal sittings between March 23 and December 17, 2026. The issues comprised 1,021 motions and 364 appeals.

Of the scheduled issues, 733 have been older instances introduced ahead for listening to, whereas 178 dormant issues have been disposed of in chambers.

Kekere-Ekun added that one other 125 issues that had already been concluded have been recognized and faraway from the court docket’s lively caseload.

She stated the measures have been a part of a deliberate technique to enhance case administration, deploy judicial assets extra successfully and make sure that pending instances acquired acceptable consideration.

“These measures reflect a more deliberate approach to managing our docket: identifying what is truly pending, bringing older matters forward, dealing appropriately with moribund matters and removing concluded matters from the active list,” she stated.

The CJN stated the Supreme Court would maintain its efforts to scale back the backlog by disciplined case administration and steady overview of its procedures.

Beyond the court docket’s caseload, Kekere-Ekun warned legal professionals towards discussion board buying in political and electoral disputes as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 common elections.

She cautioned that the apply, which entails initiating proceedings in courts or divisions thought of beneficial to a celebration or submitting a number of instances searching for considerably related reliefs, might undermine the administration of justice.

According to her, discussion board buying might produce conflicting court docket orders, disrupt judicial proceedings and expose the judiciary to avoidable embarrassment.

“It can also create the unfortunate impression that parties are seeking not justice according to law but a particular outcome from a particular court,” she stated.

The CJN urged authorized practitioners to train restraint {and professional} judgment when instituting political and electoral instances, notably the place associated proceedings have been already pending earlier than one other court docket.

She harassed that legal professionals had a duty to reveal the existence of associated instances and respect the jurisdiction and processes of different courts.

Kekere-Ekun maintained that the obligation of authorized practitioners prolonged past securing quick benefits for his or her purchasers to defending the integrity and orderly functioning of the judicial course of.

She additionally cautioned that the judiciary might face elevated stress from political disputes because the nation approaches one other electoral cycle.

According to her, the urgency and public consideration related to electoral litigation should not be allowed to undermine the honest consideration of different reliable instances awaiting dedication.

“The judiciary must approach such matters with the same calmness, detachment and fidelity to the law that it brings to every other dispute,” she stated.

The CJN additional raised issues over delays within the launch and disbursement of funds appropriated for the judiciary, warning that the issue was affecting mission implementation and the efficient administration of justice.

She defined that funds accepted within the finances and backed by the mandatory authorisations have been generally not launched when required.

“Delayed release has practical consequences: projects are deferred, procurement cycles are disrupted and the real value of appropriated funds is eroded by inflation and rising costs,” she stated.

Kekere-Ekun known as for a dependable and predictable mechanism to make sure the well timed launch and disbursement of funds appropriated for the judiciary.

She famous that the problem was extra pronounced on the state stage, stressing that judicial independence required enough monetary and institutional help.

“Judicial independence must therefore be more than a constitutional expression,” she stated, including that the judiciary wanted the mandatory institutional situations to discharge its constitutional duties successfully, independently and with integrity.

The graduation of the 2026/2027 authorized yr comes because the judiciary prepares to deal with disputes arising from political actions and preparations for the 2027 common elections, alongside its common civil and prison caseload.

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