By Henry Ojelu

LAGOS—The Court of Appeal has deployed 40 Justices to Lagos in a special sitting aimed at clearing a backlog of appeals, with 360 cases listed for hearing before 16 panels constituted for the exercise.

President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, who presided over the special session on Monday, said the move was a deliberate and sustained effort to improve efficiency in the administration of justice.

“Today’s sitting reflects the court’s deliberate and sustained commitment to enhancing efficiency in the administration of justice by addressing the growing volume of appeals across its divisions,” she said.

Justice Dongban-Mensem explained that Lagos, as Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, naturally bears a heavy appellate burden, making proactive intervention inevitable.

“It has become timely and necessary for the court to take proactive measures to be conscious of the docket of appeals,” she added.

She disclosed that the court constituted 16 panels comprising 40 Justices drawn from different divisions across the country, who will sit throughout the week in Lagos and at the National Industrial Court.

“For this exercise, the court has constituted 16 panels comprising 40 honourable Justices drawn from various divisions of the court,” she said.

According to her, the deployment required sacrifice, as several divisions were left with fewer Justices to ensure the success of the Lagos sitting.

“Many divisions have been left without Justices to take their cases. In appreciation of this sacrifice, I appeal to all lawyers to take this session seriously,” she said.

She urged lawyers and litigants to ensure their matters were ripe for hearing and warned against unnecessary delays, recalling a previous special sitting where many appeals could not be heard due to lack of preparedness by counsel.

“It was very painful for me because our limited resources had been spent on air tickets, accommodation and logistics, yet we could not take most of the appeals because many counsel were not prepared,” Justice Dongban-Mensem said.

Stressing that the exercise was strictly for work, she added: “When we set out time to work, we want to work. This is not a vacation.”

The Court of Appeal President commended the Lagos State Government, particularly the Office of the Attorney-General, for its logistical support.

“I wish to express our profound appreciation to the Office of the Attorney-General of Lagos for collaborating with the court to ensure this week happens. Otherwise, our slim resources would not be able to carry as many Justices as are here today,” she said.

She also acknowledged the National Industrial Court for providing courtroom and residential accommodation for the Justices.

Beyond case management, Justice Dongban-Mensem warned against actions capable of undermining public confidence in the judiciary.

“If we do not encourage people to have faith in the judiciary, we may not be able to contain the lawlessness that will occur when people lose confidence,” she cautioned.

Speaking on behalf of the Bar, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, described the special sitting as historic.

“It is a rare and unprecedented opportunity for us within the Lagos Bar to be blessed with an array of wise and learned Justices from the various divisions of the Court of Appeal,” Adegboruwa said.

He assured the court of the Bar’s cooperation to ensure speedy hearings.

“We, on behalf of the Bar, assure my Lords of our readiness to facilitate a speedy and expeditious hearing of all pending cases. It is in our own interest and in the interest of our clients,” he said.

Adegboruwa congratulated the Court of Appeal on its golden jubilee and drew attention to funding and infrastructure challenges confronting the judiciary.

“We know the challenges being faced by the judiciary in respect of lack of funding from the federal government. The Bar will continue to work with the judiciary to ensure that this important arm of government is well funded,” he said.

Source; Vanguard News