CJN to judges: We are here to serve people, not ourselves

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, has told the newly inaugurated Court of Appeal justices that they are in office to serve the people, not themselves.

Speaking at the inauguration of 22 judges of the Court of Appeal and 12 for the FCT High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, Justice Ariwoola said the best way to serve is to make the people feel safe and trusted.

He charged them to always deliver the right judgments that will not be tainted by sentiments, emotions or other clandestine considerations.

Ariwoola said the number of justices sworn in at the Court of Appeal was the highest since the June 28, 2021 and November 5, 2012 inaugurations which had 18 and 12 justices respectively.

“Today’s ceremony is an indication of the perilous times that we are currently in, which has resulted in an upsurge in litigation,” he said.

“Several unfathomable crimes are being committed in the country, aside from the usual political matters that have made litigations to go on alarming rise.

“No court in the land is spared of this litigation deluge, as it were. We are constantly on our toes and the dockets are ever increasing in response to the challenges of the time.

“This underscores the fact that Nigeria is fast emerging as a frontline crime-infested country that we all have to urgently curtail.”

Similarly, the CJN charged newly inaugurated FCT High Court judges to reorder and align themselves with the reality of their current status as the society would demand “the impossible” of them.

“There is nothing we have not seen or heard before, but Your Lordships should be ready to see and hear more strange things in the course of your adjudication,” he said.