S’court attains full complement of 21 as CJN swears in 11 new justices

Olukayode Ariwoola, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), has sworn in 11 new justices to the bench of the supreme court.

The justices sworn in include Jummai Sankey, Chidiebere Uwa, Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Haruna Tsammani and  Moore Adumein.

Others are Obande Ogbuinya, Stephen Adah, Habeeb Abiru, Jamilu Tukur, Abubakar Umar, and Mohammed Idris.

With the new justices, the supreme court has attained its full complement of 21 as prescribed by the constitution.

These appointments to the apex court will be the first of such significance since 2020. 

The last time the apex court got very close to achieving its full complement was in 2020, when eight justices of the court of appeal were elevated to join 12 justices on the bench of the apex court. 

Thereafter, the bench witnessed a steady depletion from 20 to 10 justices in 2023, a scenario Ariwoola described as the lowest in the history of the country’s judiciary.

In his speech on Monday, the CJN admonished the newly sworn in justices to allow their consciences guide and filter their conducts.

As justices of the highest court in the land, where appellants’ expectations are always extremely high, Ariwoola warned the incoming justices to be ready for verbal abuses or criticisms from litigants who lose cases.

“There is no way you can please human beings, especially litigants. The easiest way to fail in life is by trying to please everyone. The only deity you can fear is the Almighty God”, he said. 

“Once your judgment is in consonance with what God expects from you, and is also in accordance with the constitution, you should consider yourself the happiest and freest person on earth.

“Your moral uprightness, integrity and respect for the constitution and other extant laws in operation, must be unwavering and unassailable.

“Any judgment given at this level can only be upturned in heaven.”