By Abiola Olawale
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, will inaugurate 22 new justices of the Court of Appeal on Wednesday.
This was contained in a press statement issued by the Supreme Court’s Director of Press, Festus Akande, on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the swearing-in ceremony of the 22 new justices will take place at 10 a.m. in the Main Courtroom of the Supreme Court in Abuja.
The appointees with their various states of origin include Abdullahi Muhammad Liman (Nasarawa State), Abiodun Azeem Akinyemi (Ogun State), Olukayode Adeniyi (Oyo State), Zainab Bage Abubakar (Kebbi State), Isaq Mohammed Sani (Kaduna State), Lateef Babajide Lawal-Akapo (Lagos State), and Ngozika U. Okaisabor (Imo State).
They also include Donatus Nwaezuoke Okorowo (Enugu State), Ruqayat Oremei Ayoola (Kogi State), Polycarp Terna Kwahar (Benue State), Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike (Rivers State), and Fadawa Umaru (Borno State).
The rest are Oyewumi Oyejoju Oyebiola (Oyo State), and Ntong Festus Ntong (Akwa Ibom State), Nehizena Idemudia Afolabi (Edo State), and Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba (Abia State). The list continues with Abdu Dogo (FCT, Abuja), Abdulazeez M. Anka (Zamfara State), Owibunkeonye Onwosi (Ebonyi State), Asma’u Akanbi-Yusuf (Kwara State), Victoria Toochukwu Nwoye (Anambra State), and Enenche Eleojo (Kogi State).
The New Diplomat reports that the inauguration will significantly raise the number of the court’s serving justices to 88, up from its current 66.
It would be recalled also that the CJN will swear in 12 new judges of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, at the same time and venue.
This inauguration of new judges of both the Court of Appeal and the FCT High Court followed the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC) in May.
