The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Hon. Justice Josiah Majebi, has inaugurated appeal panels of the High Court of Justice of the state for the first quarter of the year 2026 to hear appeals resulting from cases handled by lower courts in the state.
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The panels were inaugurated at the judiciary headquarters.
It is the first in the quarterly appeal sessions usually held by the state’s High Court of Justice since the assumption of office by the CJ and aimed at providing a further avenue for dissatisfied litigants at the lower courts to have their cases reviewed.
The Hon. Chief Judge also used the occasion of the inauguration to offer his heartfelt condolence to the family of the late President of the Customary Court of Appeal, who also once acted as the Chief Judge of the state, Hon. Justice. Samuel Kehinde Otta, the Judiciary, and the entire state.
The former president’s death occured in Abuja last Saturday after a brief illness.
He described the death of the renowned jurist as a painful loss to the judiciary and the state, noting that Justice Otta would be remembered for his legacy of impactful service in the legal profession, the state’s judiciary, and the lives of those he touched while alive.
He asked for an emulation of the deceased’s humility and selflessness by members of both the bench and the bar, stating that humanity couldn’t have been better served than the contributions made by the late jurist, whom he described as an icon.
On the panels, which are to attend to cases emanating from lower courts across the state in the Appeal Session and lasting from Monday to Friday, he reiterated that the quarterly sitting of the panels for the purpose of redressing dissatisfaction from cases handled by lower courts in the state had been tremendously achieving its objectives since the sessions resumed under his watch.
He disclosed that the first session being inaugurated for the year would hear a combination of 105 cases from courts around the state.
The 9 panels inaugurated were composed of two panels sitting in the Lokoja Division which are separately headed by the Hon. Chief Judge himself and Hon. Justice Angelina Salihu.
The panels have a total of 22 cases made up of 10 criminal and 12 civil cases emanating from courts in Lokoja, Koton-karfi and Ajaokuta to attend to. Other members of the two panels are Hon. Justices Abdul Awulu, Hawa Yusufu and Isa Jamil.
The panel to sitting in Okene division is headed by Hon. Justice Etsu Umar and has Hon. Justices Sulayman Abdullah and Badama Kadir as members. The panel has 10 cases of which three are criminal and seven are civil and consisting of Appeals emanating from Obangede, Ebogogo and Ihima lower courts.
The Ankpa division has two panels separately headed by Hon. Justices Salihu Zubayr and Ruth Alfa. They both have a combination of 28 cases – 13 criminal and 15 civil – to handle from lower courts in Abejukolo and Okpo. Other members of the two panels are Hon. Justices Abubakar Ibrahim and Ali Eri.
Idah division also has two panels with 10 criminal and eight civil cases before it. Hon. Justices Moses Gwatana and Yahaya Adamu head each of the panels that will attend to appeal cases from Ugualawo and Ajaka while Hon. Justices Clement Kekere and Joseph Ajesola are the panels’ other members.
Additionally too, Anyigba division has three criminal cases and eight civil cases with the panel being headed by Hon. Justice Abubakar Hussain. It hears appeal cases from Dekina and Bassa just as the panel has Hon. Justices Aisha Muhammad and Ojoma Haruna as members.
The last panel which is sitting at the Kabba division has 14 cases – 10 criminal and 4 civil – before it. It is headed by Hon. Justice Salisu Umar with Hon. Justices Bamidele Aina and Beatrice Ada as members.The panel will hear appeals from Egbe, Isanlu, Mopa and Iyara lower courts.
The Chief Judge reassured that the Judges sitting in all the nine panels at different locations in the state have proven thei mettles while indicating that they would do Justice to the combination of the 105 cases before them fairly without fear or favour.
While appreciating both the Bench and the Bar in the state for their consistency in due diligence, the CJ urged members of the Bar to particularly ensure physical presence throughout the period of the session by personally taking up their cases admonishing that no counsel would be expected to file for an Appeal if it is evident that such counsel wasn’t ready for the case.
Speaking on behalf of the Bar, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the state’s Ministry of Justice, Iye Idama Esq., appreciated the judiciary, particularly the High Court of Justice, for creating the avenue for litigants who are dissatisfied with the decisions of the lower courts to gain access for redress. She said consistency in holding Appeal Sessions of the High Court has further increased confidence in the public for fair administration of justice in the state.
Assuring that lawyers in the state would always leverage on the opportunity, to the benefit of both citizens and residents in the state, she pledged that lawyer appearing before the panels would be dedicated and keep to time and rules of the court throughout the duration of the session.
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