The lack of courtrooms for magistrates within Abuja and its environs was highlighted by the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, on Monday.
Justice Baba-Yusuf noted that magistrates are currently sharing courtrooms to hear cases in the nation’s capital.
The statement was made at an event held to mark the opening of the 2023/2024 legal year.
He expressed his concerns, saying, “There are no adequate courtrooms for magistrates to conduct cases within Abuja and its environs. Currently, some of our magistrates are sharing courtrooms.”
Justice Baba-Yusuf also acknowledged that despite having a total of 58 judges, the courts are overwhelmed with caseloads.
He admitted that this has resulted in delays in the resolution of cases.
He explained, “When courts are overloaded with cases, it can lead to several challenges, including delays in the legal process and potential strain on the judicial system.”
“Creatively, the FCT High Court is adopting various means to address the situation,” he added.
During the 2022/2023 legal year, the FCT High Court completed 4,293 cases, while the magistrates handled 7,328 cases.
Justice Baba-Yusuf stated, “For the records, the FCT High Court officially commenced the 2022/2023 legal year on Monday, October 17, 2022.
“It brought forward a total number of 12,513 cases, encompassing both civil and criminal matters, from the preceding 2021/2022 legal year.
“Similarly, the Magistrates Court had 5,629 cases carried forward from the previous Legal Year.”
Moving on to the 2022/2023 legal year, the FCT High Court assigned 5,952 new cases, consisting of both civil and criminal matters, while the Magistrate Courts received 7,354 filings, also encompassing both civil and criminal cases.
During the year, the FCT High Court successfully resolved 4,293 cases, consisting of both civil and criminal matters, resulting in an impressive overall completion rate of 62.4%.
“Meanwhile, the Magistrate Courts successfully determined 7,328 cases, encompassing both civil and criminal matters, and achieved an outstanding completion rate of 90%.
“As the 2022/2023 legal year came to a close, there were 13,996 pending cases, covering both civil and criminal matters, at the Magistrate Court,” he concluded.