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NBA rejects plan to increase Supreme Court justices to 30
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The Nigerian Bar Association has rejected a proposal by the Senate to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court bench from 21 to 30.
The proposed measure aims to address the growing backlog of cases and enhance the efficiency of the country’s apex court.
According to the sponsor of the bill, Osita Izunaso (Imo West), the current number of justices at the apex court is insufficient, even after the 2023 appointments that brought the bench to its full constitutional complement.
Izunaso stated that despite having 21 justices, the Supreme Court remained overwhelmed by the alarming volume of cases it received daily.
He suggested that expanding the bench to 30 justices would enable the court to form additional panels and accelerate case resolution.
“If we have 30 justices, it allows the formation of at least five panels simultaneously. That way, more cases can be handled at a faster pace. Some litigants are being given hearing dates as far ahead as 2027 and 2028,” he noted.
Reacting to the bill, NBA President, Afam Osigwe, SAN, told Sunday Punch that the solution to the Supreme Court’s challenges lied in constitutional amendments rather than merely increasing the number of justices.
Osigwe added that increasing the number of justices would not address the systemic issues, stating that even with a full complement of 21 justices, the court struggled to cope with its workload over the past two years.
He argued that constitutional amendments should focus on limiting the types of cases that can be appealed to the Supreme Court.
“When the number of justices was about 15 or 16, there was a clamour that there should be a full complement of the courts to 21. In the last few years, the number of justices has risen to about 21 and they have managed to give their sufficient, but the workload has not reduced.
“The justice delivery system at the Supreme Court has not been as effective and efficient as it should be. The Nigerian Supreme Court is described as one of the most overworked and overburdened Supreme Courts in the world,” he said.
Osigwe stressed that cases of constitutional importance or those requiring resolution of conflicts in decisions by the Court of Appeal should be the only types of cases allowed to reach the apex court.
He argued that routine cases with settled legal principles should not burden the apex court.
“So instead of increasing the number, we should look at other options that may work. We must amend the Constitution to ensure that only cases that are raised and are of constitutional importance or where the Supreme Court needs to state the law and resolve conflicts by the Court of Appeal gets to the Supreme Court.
We cannot expect the Court to decide the large number of cases that come before them and expect them to be efficient and expect their consistency to be top-notch. Also, we have to ensure that the court is able to sit in two panels at all times, Osigwe added”.
Osigwe also called for improvements in the court’s operational processes, including the adoption of advanced case management technologies.
He stressed that without the changes, increasing the number of justices to 30 or even 50 would not resolve the inefficiencies.
The Delta State Government has announced the indefinite suspension of Hon.Izeze Rume Yakubu Reuben, Commissioner for Works (Highway and Urban Roads) with immediate effect.
According to a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Kingsley Eze Emu, the suspension is to enable the Security Agencies carry out an unbiased investigation of allegations associating him with the assault on the Senior Special Assistant on Protocol, Mr. Simon Mudi also known as (Temple) at the Petroleum Training Institute(PTI) Effurun,recently.
The statement added that the State Government remains committed to the maintenance of public safety in all circumstances which guarantees law and order and the sanctity of lives.This position is upheld even when institutions of state are involved.
The Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Dr Peter Odey, has reportedly escaped an accident involving his convoy in Ugep, Yakurr Local Government Area of the state.
The incident occurred at about 2pm on Sunday while Odey and his entourage were returning to Calabar from Obanliku Local Government Area, where they had attended a stakeholders’ engagement on the proposed concession of the Obudu Ranch Resort.Government Although the condition of the deputy governor could not be independently confirmed as of press time, several members of his convoy were reportedly injured in the crash.
Although the condition of the deputy governor could not be independently confirmed as of press time, several members of his convoy were reportedly injured in the crash.
A Government House press bus conveying some appointees and staff attached to the Office of the Deputy Governor was said to have veered off its lane near an Army checkpoint in Ugep before crashing into three sandbag barricades.News One of the occupants, whose identity was not immediately known, reportedly sustained an injury to the leg, while another was said to have suffered bleeding from the nose.
The extent of the injuries could not be immediately ascertained, as those involved were expected to undergo medical assessment.History Sources also disclosed that several vehicles were damaged in the accident, although the extent of the damage remained unclear.Lakes & Rivers The incident is reportedly the third accident involving the deputy governor’s convoy in the past two months, raising concerns over the condition and availability of vehicles attached to his office.
Further checks indicated that the fleet attached to the Office of the Deputy Governor had been depleted, with vehicles from the governor’s convoy reportedly being deployed for official movements when necessary. Officials in the Office of the Deputy Governor declined to comment on the incident when contacted. Further details on the crash, including the condition of the deputy governor and other persons involved, were still being awaited as authorities assess the incident.
The Osun State First Lady, Titilola Adeleke, on Monday led a protest by women in the state against what they considered “indiscriminate arrest and violence” ahead of Saturday’s guber election.
Adeleke, who was joined by women from different groups of traders and artisans in the state, led the march, which commenced along the Osogbo-Ilobu Road and terminated at the road leading to the Osun State Police Command along the West Bypass.
Also present at the protest were the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Ayobola Awolowo, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Market Affairs, Eniola Omotosho, among others.
The protesters, armed with placards bearing inscriptions such as “Election is not war,” “Stop indiscriminate arrest of our husbands,” “We want a free and fair election” and “Police must be neutral,” were prevented from proceeding to the main entrance of the command.
They were, however, attended to by the Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, Samuel Etaifo, who assured them that the command would address their concerns.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Adeleke said the women were on the streets to demand a peaceful election and called on the police to invite some notable chieftains of the All Progressives Congress for questioning over the rising incidents of violence in the state.
She said, “We are demanding a free and fair election in the forthcoming poll. We want peace; let there be peace. Invite APC chieftains for questioning. They should stop killing our husbands and children. Make them sign an undertaking. From what we heard, we learnt that they will start picking our leaders up this week.
Last Friday, they picked up the Commissioner for Environment. He was brought here, stripped naked. This is not good enough. They should leave our people alone.”
The governor’s wife subsequently presented a letter containing the protesters’ demands to the police commissioner.
Responding, Etaifo said the command had worked hard to de-escalate tension in the state since his arrival and assured the protesters that their demands would be considered.
“I have been here for the past two weeks. The IG was here because of the heightened tension in the state. For the first time in history, the IG directed the CP election to come three weeks to the election.
“If you notice, since I came, we have relative peace in the state, but the problem we have is that we cannot continue to tolerate what you have done today because it will not contribute to peace; it will cause tension again. Let us assume that you come out now and the other party comes out, then both of you meet; what will happen?” Etaifo said.
He added, “We are going back and restrategising to attend to all your demands. Why I am discussing with you is because we don’t want tension before the election; we want peace. We cannot conduct an election in an insecure environment.
“I have a mandate from the IG to come to the state to stabilise things, give an enabling environment for every political actor to exercise their franchise, and create public confidence for everyone to come out to vote on election day.”
Etaifo warned that the police would not tolerate any act capable of negatively affecting Saturday’s election, adding that anyone caught violating the law would be arrested and taken to Abuja.
“If you are a manipulator of any election, that is even the worst.
The IG and Nigeria will not forgive you. I will arrest you and take you to Abuja because this election is a federal election; we must get it right,” he said.
The police commissioner commended the protesters for conducting a peaceful demonstration but urged them to return home to prevent any incident.
“I want to applaud you for this protest being peaceful, but I want to implore you to go back so that nothing will happen to you. I will assign my men to escort you back to where you started the protest from,” he said.
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