Some legal practitioners have called on the Federal Government to increase the number of judges and courts across the country to reduce delays in the administration of justice.
They made the call in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, identifying case backlogs, frequent adjournments, inadequate judicial manpower and missing case files among factors slowing down justice delivery.
Other challenges they cited included high filing and service fees as well as unnecessary arrests by security agencies.
Mr Simon Agwu said litigants often waited years to obtain justice, adding that delayed justice could sometimes become meaningless when eventually delivered.
“There are a lot of factors that contribute to delays in court cases, from litigants themselves, the lawyers and the judges.
“In fact, the whole justice system is involved in the delay,” he said.
Agwu said some litigants also contributed to delays by failing to provide their lawyers with accurate information or meet their financial obligations, leading to unnecessary adjournments.
He called for improved judicial infrastructure and increased manpower to reduce the workload on judges.
“The system manpower is not enough; we don’t have enough judges such that you see a judge presiding over a large number of cases on the court’s docket in a day.
“The judge is human too, so more judges should be employed, facilities should be put in place to ease the workload, and artificial intelligence can also be incorporated into the system,” he said.
Another lawyer, Mr Abdullahi Muhammad, identified unnecessary arrests by the police and high costs associated with filing court processes, service of documents, bail bonds and legal services as additional factors contributing to delays.
A prosecutor, Mr Nanzim Alfred, called for greater judicial independence, the establishment of more courts, recruitment of additional judges and improved remuneration for judicial officers.
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“The judiciary system needs to be independent, and there is the need to create more courts and employ more judges and increase their salaries,” he said.
A businesswoman, Mrs Elizabeth Tanko, said she had been attending court for three years without the conclusion of her case.
“My matter has been on for the past three years. I am still hoping to get justice someday, and I hope when I do, it is not too late.
“The court system in Nigeria is slow for the common man. From mention to hearing to judgment is a long process,” she said.
Another litigant, Mr Emeka Kelechukwu, also urged the government to reform the judicial system and address prolonged court proceedings.
“I am calling on the government to do something about cases staying for long periods in court because it is ordinary Nigerians that suffer this in the end,” he said.
However, a court clerk who spoke with NAN on condition of anonymity said some litigants also contributed to delays through poor follow-up on their cases.
“The people themselves sometimes are to be blamed because they don’t follow up with their lawyers and they fail to appear in court when they need to,” he said.
The legal practitioners said addressing the identified challenges, particularly inadequate judicial manpower and infrastructure, would improve efficiency and ensure faster delivery of justice across the country.
