L
LequteMan
Guest
A House of Representatives member, Dr Ali Ahmad in an interview with newsmen in Ilorin has urged the Federal Government to increase the number of Supreme Court judges to fast track the dispensation of justice because the few judges in the court were being overworked.
“The judiciary is like a pyramid, from the magistrate court to area court, high court and Sharia Court, it gets narrower at the Court of Appeal and even more narrower at the Supreme Court.
"The more judges of the Supreme Court we have the better for the quick dispensation of cases.
“You will see that the average time that cases spend in the Supreme Court now is between three to seven years.
“The solutions could be multifaceted, but one of those is to increase the number of judges,” Ahmad said.
He stressed that it was time for the Supreme Court to stop entertaining some cases from the Court of Appeal, as was done in the U.S.
He also disclosed that the National Assembly had provided in the constitutional amendments that interlocutory appeals should not stop prosecution of criminal cases.
Ahmad said the provision was meant to reduce cases at the apex court.
“The judiciary is like a pyramid, from the magistrate court to area court, high court and Sharia Court, it gets narrower at the Court of Appeal and even more narrower at the Supreme Court.
"The more judges of the Supreme Court we have the better for the quick dispensation of cases.
“You will see that the average time that cases spend in the Supreme Court now is between three to seven years.
“The solutions could be multifaceted, but one of those is to increase the number of judges,” Ahmad said.
He stressed that it was time for the Supreme Court to stop entertaining some cases from the Court of Appeal, as was done in the U.S.
He also disclosed that the National Assembly had provided in the constitutional amendments that interlocutory appeals should not stop prosecution of criminal cases.
Ahmad said the provision was meant to reduce cases at the apex court.
