Senator Osita Izunaso (Imo West) has proposed a bill to raise the number of Supreme Court justices in Nigeria from 21 to 30. He says the move is necessary to address the growing backlog of cases and improve the speed of justice delivery.
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, Izunaso noted that although the court recently reached its full capacity of 21 justices, the volume of cases remains overwhelming.
“Litigants are being given hearing dates as far away as 2027 and 2028,” he said.
The senator also called for reforms to limit the types of cases reaching the Supreme Court. He criticised the trend of minor disputes, such as land or rent issues, escalating to the apex court.
“Why should a land matter from my village end up in the Supreme Court?” he asked. “The court should focus on serious national issues, like terrorism, corruption, and constitutional disputes.”
Rejecting the idea of creating regional Supreme Courts, Izunaso insisted on maintaining a single apex court but with better case filtering at lower levels.
He also commended President Tinubu for posthumously honouring Professor Humphrey Nwosu, the electoral umpire behind the 1993 election, and urged further recognition by naming INEC’s headquarters after him.
