Lawyers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are calling on the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Hussein Baba, to speed up the assignment of hundreds of cases currently awaiting action. Many of these cases originated from vacation courts during the judiciary’s annual break from July to September 2024.
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According to the concerned lawyers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, over 500 cases have been pending with the Chief Judge since the court resumed from its vacation on September 16, 2024. The delay in reassigning these matters to judges has left numerous litigants in uncertainty, with some suffering significant losses due to the prolonged wait.
One lawyer expressed their frustration, stating, “One finds it difficult to understand why matters that were forwarded to the CJ from vacation courts are yet to be assigned to judges. Situations like this cripple the administration of justice. It appears that the CJ has so much on his hands and this accounts for why matters for reassignment have stayed in his office for almost two months without being reassigned to a court.”
Another legal practitioner suggested that the Chief Judge may be overburdened with responsibilities as the Administrative Judge of the entire FCT. They recommended delegating the task of case reassignment to the deputy judge to allow the Chief Judge to focus on other crucial matters within the FCT judiciary.
The lawyers emphasised that the delay in assigning cases will have a detrimental effect on the delivery of justice within the FCT. They urged the Chief Judge to take swift action to address the backlog and ensure that litigants receive timely access to justice.
As of the time of this report, the FCT High Court had not responded to requests for comment on the matter.
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