The Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, has expressed concern about the rising number of cases filed in FCT courts.
Justice Baba-Yusuf said 30,179 new cases were filed within a year, with 6,727 at the High Court of the FCT, 23,200 at the Magistrate Courts, and 252 at the Abuja Multi-Door Courthouse (AMDC).
However, he expressed delight that the High Court had disposed of 5,625 of the cases before it, while the Magistrate Courts decided 19,292 cases and the AMDC determined 195 cases.
The CJ spoke in Abuja on Wednesday during a special court session to flag off the FCT Judiciary’s 2026/2027 legal year.
He said, ‘The workload indicates that the challenge of pending cases in this jurisdiction, where the demand for justice is rising with each passing day, requires sustained attention.
‘To address this, the High Court has started the process of appointing additional judges.
‘Efforts are also in place to build upon the work already undertaken, improve the consistency of our case-management systems and strengthen the quality and timeliness of judicial service delivery.’
Justice Baba-Yusuf said the court had, within the period under review, placed considerable emphasis on capacity building for judicial officers at all levels and other court staff, adding that facilities were renovated across all Divisions of the Court.
‘In our pursuit of an innovative and technologically driven justice system, two Magistrate Courts in Wuse Zone 2 have been digitised, and plans are already at an advanced stage to expand this initiative,’ he added.
The CJ stressed that, while acknowledging the achievements, the court must remain honest about the challenges it is facing.
He added, ‘The continuing volume of new filings, the stock of pending cases, the need for additional personnel, the maintenance of infrastructure and the demands of digital transformation all require sustained attention
‘The figures presented earlier show that our courts continue to operate under considerable pressure. The response must therefore be deliberate, coordinated and measurable.
‘Institutional reform succeeds through the daily care with which responsibilities are discharged. This therefore calls for strengthening the discipline of case management, improving the accuracy of judicial statistics, monitoring the age of pending cases and encouraging timely compliance with procedural requirements.’
‘To this end, I call upon our staff to approach change with professionalism and a readiness to learn.
‘I also call on our stakeholders to support the infrastructure, resources and safeguards required for sustainable improvement, with full respect for judicial independence,’ Justice Baba-Yusuf stated.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), hailed the FCT Judiciary for its successes in the last legal year and urged it to continue administering justice fairly and without delay.
Represented by the Director, Civil Appeals, at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Tijani Gazali (SAN), Fagbemi noted the need to better utilise alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to settle some of the disputes that overburden the court.
He said, ‘Arbitration and mediation should be embraced where suitable, particularly in disputes that can be settled amicably,’ adding that lawyers must help the court explore practical measures to reduce the number of cases that reach it.
Fagbemi drew the court’s attention to Section 294(1) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which he said requires judges to deliver judgments in writing no later than 90 days after parties have adopted their written addresses.
He added that the same section makes it compulsory to make a certified copy of a judgment available to parties within seven days of its delivery.
The AGF regretted that, despite the clear provision of the law, there is a plethora of complaints from aggrieved litigants whose bids to appeal adverse judgments appear to be frustrated by the failure of courts to give them timely access to copies of the judgments.
He said the Federal Government is ready to support efforts to modernise the operations of the court to enhance access to justice for citizens.