Court Congestion and Access to Justice in Nigeria: Cancerous or Curable?

1. A Adesomoju, ‘2019/2020 Legal Year: Court Congestion, Top Judiciary’s Concern’ Punch Newspaper (2019) https://punchng.com/2019-20-legal-year-court-congestion-independence-top-judiciary-concern accessed 5 August 2022.
2. Anozia v Attorney General of Lagos State [2010] 15 NWLR (Pt 1216) 207, 237.
3. S Justus and CN Nduka, ‘The Court System in Nigeria: Jurisdiction and Appeals’ (2016) 2 International Journal of Business and Applied Social Science 2.
4. Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (CFRN 1999), s 6(1)–(2).
5. ibid, s 6(4).
6. ibid, s 6(5)(a)–(i).
7. ibid, s 6(6)(a)–(b).
8. (2002) 4 SC (Pt I) 1. (Case name required.)
9. (2007) 1 CCLR (SC) 104, 131; Justus and Nduka (n 3).
10. Gadi v Male [2010] 7 NWLR (Pt 1193) 225.
11. ibid 266.
12. E Atake, ‘Congestion in Court is Killing Advocacy’ The Guardian (2018) https://guardian.ng/features/congestion-in-courts-is-killing-advocacy-says-atake/ accessed 16 August 2023.
13. A Nafiu, ‘Rage over Congestion in Courts’ Stuchlikova & Partners (2017) http://www.nigeriabar.com/2017/02/rage-over-congestion-in-courts accessed 16 August 2023.
14. ibid.
15. Adesomoju (n 1).
16. ibid.
17. O Olasunkanmi, ‘Lagos CJ Decries Backlog of Court Cases’ Lagos State Government (2020) https://lagosstate.gov.ng/blog/2018/05/17/lagos-cj-decries-backlog-of-court-cases/ accessed 17 August 2022; J Monye and others, ‘Where are We in Curbing Delays in Administration of Justice in Nigeria?’ Punuka (2020) https://punuka.com/where-are-we-in-curbing-delays-in-nigeria/ accessed 16 August 2023.
18. Oloyode Akingbade v Lagos Town Council (1955) 21 NLR 90.
19. A Oyekanmi, ‘Supreme Court Affirms 1958 Acquisition of Ilasamaja/Oshodi Land by Lagos State Government’ Ecomium (2017) https://ecomium.ng/supreme-court-affirms-1958-acquisition-of-ilasamaja-oshodi-land-by-lasg/ accessed 10 October 2023.
20. State v Rev Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeugo (King) (2013) LCN/6696 (CA).
21. K Adejumo, ‘Nigeria’s Holding Charge Policy Affecting Access to Justice’ HumAngle (2022) https://humanglemedia.com/nigerias-holding-charge-policy-affecting-access-to-justice/ accessed 10 October 2022.
22. Olawoye v COP [2006] 2 NWLR (Pt 965) 427, 442–443 (CA).
23. CFRN 1999, s 35(4)–(5).
24. M Ozekhome, ‘A Holding Charge is Patently Illegal under the Constitution’ Premium Times (2015) https://www.premiumtimesng.com/features-and-interviews/195426-a-holding-charge-is-patently-illegal-under-the-constitution-part-1.html accessed 10 October 2023.
25. J Monye and others, ‘Where are We in Curbing Delays in Administration of Justice in Nigeria?’ Punuka (2022) https://punuka.com/where-are-we-in-curbing-delays-in-administration-of-justice-nigeria/ accessed 19 August 2023.
26. HC Westover, ‘The Cause, Effect and Solution of Congestion in the Federal Courts’ (1959) 10 Hastings Law Journal 384 https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings-law-journal/vol10/iss4/3 accessed 19 August 2023.
27. F Busari, ‘Special Report: Case Congestion in Lagos Courts Hinders Access to Justice’ Premium Times (2019) https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/348468-special-report-case-congestion-in-lagos-courts-hinder-access-to-justice.html accessed 14 October 2023.
28. R Slowes, ‘Benefits of a Modern Court Case Management System’ White Paper (2016) https://www.static.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com accessed 10 October 2023.
29. I Akomolede, ‘Reflections on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as an Antidote to Delay in Dispensation of Justice in Nigeria’ in O Oluduro and others (eds), Trends in Nigerian Law: Essays in Honour of Oba DVF Olateru Olagbegi III (Constellation (Nig) Publishers 2007) 482.
30. T Sourdin, Mediation in the Supreme and County Courts of Victoria (Australian Centre for Justice Innovation 2009) 117.
31. JE Warren, ‘What’s Wrong with the Courts: The Justice Speaks Out’ (1970) https://njc.gov.ng/national-judicial-policy accessed 20 August 2023.
32. ibid.
33. ibid.
34. National Judicial Policy (National Judicial Council 2022) https://njc.gov.ng/national-judicial-policy accessed 10 October 2023.
35. ibid.
36. ibid.
37. ibid.
38. ibid.
39. SS Ekpenyong and J Otakpor, ‘Nigeria: Is Customary Arbitration the Solution to Congestion of Cases in Nigerian Courts?’ Mondaq (2021) https://www.mondaq.com/nigeria/arbitration-dispute-resolution/107031/is-customary-arbitration-the-solution-to-congestion-of-cases-in-nigerian-courts accessed 30 September 2023.
40. O Agbakoba, ‘The Role of the Administration of Criminal Justice in the Speedy Dispensation of Justice in Nigeria’ HURILAWS (2019) https://hurilaws.org/the-role-of-the-administration-of-criminal-justice-act-in-the-speedy-dispensation-of-justice-in-nigeria/ accessed 16 August 2023.
41. ibid.
42. Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.
43. CO Obiozor, Effective Case-Flow and Time Management Techniques (Paper presented at the Refresher Course for Judges and Kadis, National Judicial Institute, 2021) http://effective-case-flow-and-time-management-techniques-by-hon-justice-c.a-obiozor-1.pdf accessed 15 August 2023.
44. ibid.
45. ibid.
46. YA Ojo, ‘NJC Should Promote Judicial Ethics’ The Guardian https://guardian.ng/features/law/njc-should-promote-judicial-ethics/ accessed 16 August 2023.
47. A Abdulwahab and D Onozure, ‘Lagos State Courts in a State of Emergency – CJ’ Vanguard (2018) https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/05/lagos-state-courts-state-emergency-cj/ accessed 12 October 2023.
48. AA Osinuga and B Adepoju, ‘The High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019: A Step towards Improving the Administration of Justice’ Lexology (2019) https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=f390e0-a2f6-4173-8fd1-4eaff242f72a accessed 12 October 2023.