The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Hon. Justice Josiah Joe Majeb, has inaugurated panels for the fourth and last quarter session of the High Court of Justice of Kogi State to hear 129 appeals.
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The Chief Judge inaugurated the panels at the judiciary headquarters in Lokoja, the state capital.
They are to attend to appeals emanating from lower courts and will be sitting in the six judicial divisions across the state, commencing from 1 to 5 December 2025.
A total of 129 cases from different divisions in the state will be determined by the six panels. Lokoja, which has two panels, will handle 54 cases; Ankpa, also with two panels, will handle 36 cases; and Idah, with two panels, has 16 cases to deal with. Other divisions — Okene, Anyigba and Kabba — have one panel each with a considerable number of cases between them.
Justice Majeb, who praised the judges of the state for their hard work and commitment, noted that no amount of reward could compensate them for the sacrifices and efforts they put into administering justice in the state.
“We are having the appeal session at the High Court level to review cases handled by the lower courts because we insist that it must be held quarterly in each legal year. So I want you people to put in your best because at the level of the bench, all the judges designated at the six judicial divisions are already waiting to commence the session after this inauguration. Some of those here with me came from their various divisions across the state and that demonstrates the level of commitment and dedication on their part. No matter how much you give a judge today, you are still in arrears of what he is entitled to. You can never compensate a judge,” he said.
“If, as a lawyer, you know what you ought to have done before now and you have refused to do it, please just humble yourself. When you know you should have filed an appeal before today and you didn’t do so, none of my judges will take that. So just be humble enough to do the needful,” he advised.
Justice Majeb commended the NBA, Lokoja Branch, for its successful Law Week and appreciated the committee the association has constituted to review the new High Court Civil Procedure Rules for possible inputs, which he said were being awaited by the court.
Referring to the Law Week conference, whose theme was the synergy between the Bench and the Bar for effective justice delivery, he reiterated that the relationship between the Bench and the Bar must not be compromised for an effective justice-delivery process to thrive in the state. While admitting that no issue had been recorded against any lawyer even during previous appeal sessions, he urged all parties appearing before the panels to be professionally ethical.
Responding on behalf of the chairman, executive and members of the association, the Vice-Chairman, M. S. Inuwa, Esq., thanked the Chief Judge and the High Court for providing the avenue to review cases already determined by lower courts in order to remedy any miscarriage of justice. He said the opportunity was commendable and beneficial to all parties, including the lower courts and their judges, whom he said have tremendously improved, bearing in mind that their decisions can be reviewed by a higher court.
“We want to sincerely thank you for the appellate session as you have fulfilled your promise for a quarterly session. Our recent conference has given us the opportunity to examine the new High Court Civil Procedure Rules, and we’re going to send in a report to advise you on the practice direction.
“The appeal session is an opportunity for our cases to be reviewed, which further strengthens the course of justice. Whoever is aggrieved at the lower court has the opportunity for the case to be reviewed, and it is commendable, your Lordship. You came and changed the narrative, and some of us have enjoyed the opportunity. Also, it adds to our purse for those of us who want to be SAN.
“I assure you that, on our part, we will continue to uphold the ethics of the profession, as you’ll agree with us that none of our members has ever been drawn before the ethics committee. Also, it must be mentioned that since the consistency of the appeal sessions, the quality of lower-court judges in the state is improving. My lord can confirm that the lower-court judges have improved because they know their decisions can now be reviewed. So we are very grateful for the impact it is making on justice delivery in the state,” he added.
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