Senate Mulls Raise in Supreme Court Bench from 21 to 30

Nigeria’s Senate is proposing to increase the Supreme Court’s justices from 21 to 30 to clear case backlog and boost efficiency, according to Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo West).

Izunaso, the bill’s sponsor, made the announcement at a media briefing in Abuja on Friday attended by Persecondnews, marking his two-year stewardship in the 10th National Assembly.

Despite the 2023 appointment of 11 justices, Izunaso believed that the current number remains inadequate.

He said: “Even with the full complement of 21 justices, the Supreme Court is overwhelmed. The volume of cases reaching the court daily is alarming. Some litigants are being given hearing dates as far ahead as 2027 and 2028.

“Supreme Court justices typically sit in panels of five, or seven for constitutional matters. If we have 30 justices, it allows the formation of at least five panels simultaneously. That way, more cases can be handled at a faster pace.”

Senator Izunaso’s proposal extends beyond simply increasing the number of Supreme Court justices as he is also pushing for a significant reform in the types of cases the court hears.

He advocated an end to what he called “judicial congestion caused by trivial matters.”

The senator questions the logic of allowing cases such as land disputes, tenancy issues, and divorce cases to reach the nation’s highest court.

He said: “Why should a land matter in my village end up in the Supreme Court. Many of these issues should start from the Customary Court and end at the High Court.

“The people at those levels understand the context better. The apex court should be reserved for cases of national or constitutional importance, things like terrorism, homicide, and grand corruption.

“Do you know that even tenancy disputes, like ‘pay me my rent’ or ‘my landlord kicked me out’, go all the way to the Supreme Court? This is clogging the system and delaying justice for more critical matters.”

The lawmaker recalled a personal experience, recalling a case where a resolution had been reached among the descendants of deceased parties, yet the court hearing for the matter was not scheduled until three years later.

“The case was fixed for 2026, even though the matter had already been settled. That is an indictment of our system,” he lamented.

While some legal reform advocates have suggested the establishment of regional Supreme Courts, Izunaso firmly rejected the idea, insisting that Nigeria should maintain a single national Supreme Court, but drastically reduce the volume of cases it will handle.

He said: “A unitary Supreme Court preserves the sanctity and unity of our judicial system. What we need is better filtration at lower level, not more Supreme Courts.”