In response to the ongoing challenges facing the Nigerian judiciary, including the shutdown of courts in some regions and delays in justice delivery, a group of Nigerian lawyers has established the Joint Lawyers Forum of Nigeria (JLFRN). The forum, open to all qualified legal practitioners, was founded by Yemi Abiona and Ayodele Ademiluyi.

The forum’s formation comes in the wake of widespread concerns about the judiciary’s struggles, particularly in the South-east and North-east of Nigeria, where insecurity has led to the suspension of court sittings. According to a statement released by the forum’s secretary, Karounwi Sikiru, two divisions of the Court of Appeal in the South-east have been unable to hold sittings due to the escalating security crisis in the region. As a result, litigants, including criminal appellants in custody, have been denied their right to appeal for months.

In the North-east, the Court of Appeal’s Gombe Division alternates sittings between Gombe and Borno States, attempting to ensure that appellants from Borno, one of the most affected regions by insurgency, have access to their cases being heard.

The forum also expressed concern over the delay in hearings, particularly in the Lagos Division, as well as the insufficient number of judges to handle the volume of cases across the country. To address these issues, the forum is calling for the creation of zonal divisions of the Supreme Court in each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. This, they argue, would decentralize the judicial process and make it more accessible to people in all parts of the country.

In addition to this, the JLFRN is advocating for the expansion of the Court of Appeal, Federal High Court, and National Industrial Court to better accommodate the growing volume of litigation in Nigeria. They also called for the enforcement of judicial independence and an improvement in the facilities, divisions, and number of judges in the Federal High Courts to reduce case backlogs and enhance the overall efficiency of the justice system.The forum, which plans to engage with groups of lawyers seeking to be recognized as branches of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), believes that increasing the number of NBA branches across Nigeria will help bring more legal practitioners into the reform movement and push for the changes needed to restore confidence in the judiciary.

The Nigerian legal system has been plagued by numerous challenges, including low accountability, corruption, delays in court cases, and sometimes questionable decisions from the bench. These issues have eroded public trust in the justice system, contributing to a growing culture of impunity and lawlessness in the country. The JLFRN hopes to unite lawyers in advocating for reforms that will address these issues and improve the overall delivery of justice in Nigeria.