A planned special sitting of the Court of Appeal to mark its 50th anniversary has generated controversy following allegations by former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, that the event amounts to an abuse of power.
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The controversy followed two separate invitations connected with events scheduled to hold in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State.
In one of the notices, dated May 20, 2026, the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal, Jos Division, Mrs. Moshalie Emeka Francisca O., Esq., invited the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Shendam Branch, to a special sitting marking the 50th anniversary of the Court of Appeal.
According to the letter, the special sitting was scheduled to hold on June 17, 2026, at the Court of Appeal, Jos Division, by 10:00 a.m.
The letter stated that the invitation was extended to members of the NBA Shendam Branch to honour the court with their presence at the event.
However, in a post on X, Odinkalu alleged that a separate impromptu notice had been issued indicating that the Court of Appeal would sit on Saturday, June 13, at 9:00 a.m. or soon thereafter, in Shendam Local Government Area.
According to him, although the Court of Appeal is headquartered in Abuja, the planned sitting was to be presided over by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, at Ngwa Rina Ngoot Long, Shendam Local Government Council, which he said is not a seat of the Court.
Odinkalu alleged that the only reason for the sitting in the area was that Shendam is the hometown of the President of the Court of Appeal.
He further claimed that matters had been listed on the cause list for determination during the sitting, and that members of the NBA Shendam Branch were specially invited to attend as a mark of courtesy and solidarity with the President of the Court.
“There is only one name for this, let’s be clear. It is abuse of power,” Odinkalu wrote.
The development also coincides with a separate invitation by the Ngootugu’ut Development Association for the commissioning of a newly constructed Magistrate Court in Ngootugu’ut, Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The invitation, dated June 11, 2026, was addressed to NDA branches in Jos, Abuja, Lagos and Shendam, inviting them to the official commissioning of the Ngootugu’ut Magistrate Court.
The event is scheduled to hold on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Ngootugu’ut Magistrate Court premises, Shendam LGA, Plateau State.
The association described the commissioning as a landmark event and a major milestone for access to justice in the community.
The invitation was signed by Pharm. Yitnoe Martins Tsenpet, President of the Ngootugu’ut Development Association.
Odinkalu’s criticism appears to centre on the alleged conversion of the Court of Appeal’s anniversary activity into what he described as a sitting outside the recognised seat of the court, particularly in the hometown of the President of the Court of Appeal.
As of the time of this report, the Court of Appeal had not issued a public response to Odinkalu’s allegation.
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