The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, has lamented the rising number of cases especially political cases in the country.
Ariwoola who said this at the swearing-in of nine justices of the court of appeal in Abuja on Wednesday noted that, apart from several new crimes being committed which had contributed to the steady rise of court cases in the country, political cases were taking a monumental toll on courts’ dockets across the country.
The CJN also revealed that this has in turn placed Nigeria among countries with a large number of litigations in the world.
In his words: “Today’s ceremony is an indication of the times that we are currently in. Several novel crimes are being committed in the country which has now made litigations go on a steady rise. Political cases, especially, are taking a monumental toll on our dockets.
“Indeed, the times we are in are not pleasant, to say the least. No court in the land is spared of this. We are constantly on our toes and the dockets are ever-rising in response to the challenges of the time.
“This underscores the undisputed fact that Nigeria continuously ranks among the most litigious countries in the world.”
News About Nigeria reports that Ariwoola, therefore, advocated for other means of dispute and conflict resolution that would help to reduce “unnecessary burden and depletion of both human and material resources.
“I strongly believe it is high time we began to imbibe the culture of less litigation and more alternative dispute resolution mechanisms so that our courts can be freed of unnecessary burden and depletion of both human and material resources,” he stated.
