A new bill in the Senate seeks to increase Supreme Court justices from 21 to 30 to reduce delays in hearing cases.
Senator Izunaso says the move will help ease pressure on the court and speed up decisions on critical national matters.
The Nigerian Senate is considering a proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from 21 to 30, in an effort to ease the heavy backlog of pending cases and enhance the effectiveness of the country’s highest court.
Senator Osita Izunaso, who represents Imo West and is sponsoring the bill, made this known during a media briefing in Abuja on Friday while marking his two-year milestone in the 10th National Assembly.
Despite the appointment of 11 new justices in 2023 that brought the court to its full constitutional capacity for the first time, Izunaso argued that the current number still falls short of what is needed to meet the demands of Nigeria’s judicial system.
“The Supreme Court remains overwhelmed, even at full strength,” he said. “Litigants are being given hearing dates as far away as 2027 or 2028. That’s how bad the situation has become.”
He explained that with 30 justices, the apex court would be able to form more panels usually five or seven judges per panel thereby allowing multiple cases to be heard concurrently and speeding up the judicial process.
However, the senator’s proposal goes beyond increasing the number of judges. He is also calling for reforms to limit the types of cases that reach the Supreme Court. According to him, the court should not be clogged with matters like land disputes, divorce proceedings, or tenancy disagreements.
“Why should a minor land dispute in my village make its way to the Supreme Court?” Izunaso asked. “Cases of that nature should be handled by Customary or High Courts. The Supreme Court should focus on issues of national concern cases involving terrorism, murder, or corruption.”
He cited instances where trivial matters had delayed more serious ones, including a case he was involved in that was still scheduled for hearing years after the involved parties had passed away and their children had already settled the matter.
While some have called for regional Supreme Courts to reduce the load, Izunaso firmly opposes the idea. He believes Nigeria should retain a single apex court and focus instead on better case screening at the lower levels.
“A unified Supreme Court helps preserve the integrity of our legal system. What we need is better filtration, not fragmentation,” he said.
On another note, Izunaso applauded President Bola Tinubu for awarding a posthumous national honor to the late Professor Humphrey Nwosu, former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, who presided over the historic June 12, 1993 presidential election.
Nwosu was honored with the title of Commander of the Order of the Niger during the Democracy Day celebrations. Izunaso described the recognition as “bold and timely,” and urged the president to name INEC’s national headquarters after the late professor.
“I once sponsored a motion in the Senate for Professor Nwosu to be recognized,” he recalled. “Even though it didn’t pass then, I’m glad we never gave up. Today, justice has been served.”
