Appeal Court sets up seven panels on decongestion
By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja
The President of the Court of Appeal (PCA), Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem has announced the constitution of seven special panels specifically to hear old pending appeals as a way of de-congesting the court’s dockets nationwide.
Justice Dongban-Mensem made this public on Monday in Abuja while addressing the court’s maiden “Working conference of the Presiding Justices of the Court of Appeal,” attended by Presiding Justices of the court’s 20 divisions.
She said the conference was to promote a sense of togetherness and ensure the most experienced minds are deployed on special de-congestion panels to work in the most congested divisions.
According to the PCA, the special panels, which will be sitting in two sessions daily, will work for three days to depose of over 100 motions.
The PCA explained the measure became necessary in view of the lingering appeals clustering the court due to what she described as the unwillingness of some litigants who go into deep slumber without filing complete processes.
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“The Court of Appeal cannot be used as a tool in the hands of these litigants who go into a deep slumber. All notices of appeal filed without being followed with other processes to ensure quick prosecution and disposal of the appeal should be shown the way out.
“We have sufficient provisions in our rules, which are backed by Constitutional provision for the disposal of matters in court.
“Since the Presiding Justices are heads of the divisions, we have come out to dare to bite so that when we go back to our divisions, we shall not forget to keep up the tempo.
“In a nation with teeming unemployed graduates and restive youths, we must do our part to create jobs by ensuring that all appeals are heard expeditiously especially those which involve corporate bodies and businesses which can provide jobs for our youths,” she said.