Newscenter Media News Chief Justice on Nigeria (CJN) Kudirat Kekere-Ekun on Tuesday, sounded the alarm, cautioning that Nigerians will lose faith in the judiciary if judges continue to delay case execution.
Speaking at the National Judicial Council’s third annual conference, Kekere-Ekun expressed concern over the rising number of pending cases and low disposition rates.
“We must be deeply concerned by the increase in pending cases and low disposition rates,” Kekere-Ekun emphasized. As of Q1 2024, 243,253 cases lingered in superior courts, comprising 199,747 civil and 43,506 criminal cases.
The CJN criticized judges who failed to deliver judgments in the last quarter, calling it “unacceptable.” She urged judicial officers to leverage technology and innovative case management to enhance performance.
“As of the first quarter of 2024, we had a total of 243,253 cases pending in our superior courts of record, exclusive of the supreme court.
“This total is comprised of 199,747 civil cases and 43,506 criminal cases.
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“At the last meeting of the committee, there was a reduction in case disposal as some judicial officers failed to deliver a single judgment in one quarter. This is simply unacceptable.
“It is imperative for all of us to take a serious note of this alarming situation, and for this purpose, we must re-focus our attention towards enhancing our judicial performance.”
Kekere-Ekun advocated for alternative dispute resolution methods like mediation and arbitration to alleviate judges’ workload. “Delayed justice is denied justice,” she stressed. “Unless we execute our roles efficiently, the populace will lose confidence in the judiciary.”
The CJN highlighted digital tools like virtual courtrooms, e-filing systems, and research engines to boost case disposition efficiency.
“My Lords, ladies and gentlemen, we cannot wish away the growing backlog of cases or expect a different result when we continue to do things the same way,” the CJN said.
“Unless we can justly, speedily, and effectively execute our roles as judicial officers, the populace will lose their confidence in the judiciary, as it is mostly believed, rightly or wrongly, that the judicial process is often painstakingly slow and tedious. Delayed justice is denied justice.
“The introduction of digital case management systems, the judicial performance evaluation software (JPES), virtual courtrooms, e-filing systems, digital databases, web seminars, online meetings, and advanced research engines provide a myriad of tools for efficiency in case disposition.”
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