The Nigerian Senate is currently deliberating a bill that seeks to increase the number of justices on the Supreme Court from 21 to 30, aiming to tackle the growing backlog of cases and enhance the delivery of justice.
Senator Osita Izunaso, representing Imo West, revealed the proposal during a press briefing in Abuja marking his second year in the 10th National Assembly. He noted that although the Supreme Court recently reached its constitutional quota of 21 justices following the appointment of 11 new members in 2023, this number remains insufficient to handle the increasing demands placed on the court.
“Even with the full complement of 21 justices, the Supreme Court is overwhelmed,” Izunaso said. “The volume of cases reaching the court daily is alarming. Some litigants have hearing dates scheduled as far out as 2027 and 2028.”
He explained that increasing the number of justices would allow the court to convene more panels simultaneously, speeding up case hearings. “Supreme Court justices typically sit in panels of five, or seven for constitutional matters. With 30 justices, we can form at least five panels at the same time, enabling more cases to be addressed faster,” he added.
Izunaso also called for reforms to restrict the types of cases that reach the apex court, questioning why relatively minor disputes like land or tenancy issues are allowed to escalate to the highest judicial level.
“Why should a land matter in my village end up in the Supreme Court?” he asked. “Many of these cases should begin at customary courts and conclude at high courts. The apex court should be reserved for cases of national or constitutional significance—such as terrorism, homicide, and grand corruption.”
He highlighted tenancy and family disputes reaching the Supreme Court as symptomatic of systemic failures that clog the judiciary and delay justice in more critical matters. He cited an example of a case settled by the families of deceased litigants but still scheduled for Supreme Court hearing in 2026.
While rejecting proposals to establish regional supreme courts, Izunaso emphasized the need for a single, centralized apex court to preserve Nigeria’s judicial unity and integrity. “What we need is better filtration at lower levels, not more supreme courts,” he said.
The senator also mentioned that the Senate is reviewing a bill for the creation of Anim State in the South-East geopolitical zone, which has passed its second reading and is under consideration by the Senate Committee on Constitution Review.
