Supreme Court delivered 411 judgments in one year – CJN

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, on Monday said the Supreme Court handled 2,456 matters and delivered 411 judgments in the 2025/2026 legal year.

Kekere-Ekun disclosed this at a special session of the Supreme Court marking the commencement of the 2026/2027 legal year in Abuja.

According to her, the matters comprised 1,179 general civil motions, 573 criminal motions, 13 Sharia-related motions and 676 appeals.

She explained that the appeals included 433 general civil appeals, 212 criminal appeals, 19 political appeals, 12 Sharia appeals and 10 originating summons.

“From these matters, 411 judgments were delivered. During the preceding Legal Year, the Court handled 2,280 matters and delivered 369 judgments and rulings,” Kekere-Ekun stated.

She noted that while the figures provided a measure of the court’s institutional activity, they did not tell the full story of its operations.

The CJN said the apex court’s performance during the year was encouraging but acknowledged that more work remained to be done.

She said the court had continued to prioritise effective docket management through measures aimed at addressing delays and the accumulation of pending cases.

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Kekere-Ekun said the court’s E-Diary Office scheduled 1,385 matters for regular sittings between March 23 and December 17, 2026, comprising 1,021 motions and 364 appeals.

She added that 733 of the matters were old cases deliberately brought forward for hearing.

“In addition, 178 moribund matters were disposed of in Chambers, while 125 matters that had already been concluded were identified and removed from the active pool,” she said.

The CJN said the measures reflected a deliberate approach to managing the court’s docket by identifying pending matters, prioritising older cases and removing concluded matters from the active list.

“These measures reflect a more deliberate approach to managing our docket. The work of the E-Diary Office is therefore an important part of our continuing effort to make the Court more efficient, responsive and better able to meet the expectations of litigants,” she said.

Nathaniel Shaibu is a correspondent at The PUNCH with three years of professional journalism experience. He covers the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), civil society, religion, and the Ministries of Women Affairs and Youth Development. In addition to his primary beats, Nathaniel also reports on politics, metro, security, and judicial matters, bringing clarity and balance to a wide range of public-interest stories. His work reflects hands-on newsroom experience, strong beat knowledge, and a commitment to accurate, responsible journalism.