A bill seeking to increase the number of judges serving in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) from 75 to a minimum of 100 has passed its second reading at the House of Representatives.
The bill, which aims to amend Section 1B of the FCT High Court Act, is sponsored by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu alongside six other lawmakers. Leading the debate, Kalu highlighted the urgent need for judicial expansion to address the growing backlog of cases.
“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 noted.
“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.”
Kalu then emphasised that the current number of judges is insufficient to handle the increasing caseload, exacerbated by Abuja’s rapid population growth and economic activities.
“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.The deputy speaker argued that increasing the number of judges would lead to faster case resolution, improve judicial efficiency, and boost public confidence in the legal system.
Following the debate, lawmakers supported the bill through a voice vote, presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas. The proposed legislation now moves to the committee stage for further deliberation.
If enacted, the amendment would provide much-needed relief to the FCT judiciary, which has been grappling with rising complexity and volume in legal matters.
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