The House of Representatives has passed a bill that proposes increasing the number of judges in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court from 70 to 100. The bill, which was introduced by Deputy Speaker Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Hon. Babajimi Benson, and six other lawmakers, aims to help clear the backlog of cases in the court.
Hon. Jonathan Gbefwi, one of the bill’s sponsors, explained that the court has been struggling with a huge number of pending cases. At the start of the 2022/2023 legal year, there were 12,513 cases waiting to be heard, and the court received nearly 6,000 new cases. Gbefwi believes that adding more judges will help reduce delays, speed up case resolutions, and restore public trust in the justice system.
The bill suggests raising the number of judges to a minimum of 100, a move that reflects the growing population and development of Abuja, which has led to more cases being filed.
