Federal High Court Judges To Embark On Christmas, New Year Break
The Federal High Court will begin its 2026 Christmas and New Year vacation on December 21, with regular court sittings scheduled to resume on January 6, 2027.
Politics Nigeria reports that the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, announced the two-week break in a statement signed by Catherine Oby-Christopher, the court’s Director of Information.
According to the statement, the vacation will end on January 5, 2027, while designated judges will remain on duty to handle urgent matters during the period.
Justice Tsoho said the vacation was approved in accordance with Order 46, Rule 4(c) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019.
He explained that only designated judicial divisions would remain operational during the break to provide essential judicial services to litigants.
For the Abuja division, Justices Inyang Ekwo and Obiora Egwuatu have been designated as vacation judges, while Justices Akintayo Aluko and Ogazi Nkemakonam will attend to cases at the Lagos division.
At the Port Harcourt division, Justices P. M. Ayua and A. T. Mohammed will handle urgent matters, while Justices Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo and M. T. Segun-Bello will sit at the Enugu division.
The Chief Judge stated that vacation judges would entertain only cases involving the enforcement of fundamental rights, the arrest or release of vessels and other matters of urgent national importance, including pre-election cases.
Regular proceedings across the court’s judicial divisions are expected to resume on January 6, 2027.
Meanwhile, a Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has sentenced a couple, Harry Uyanwanne and Oluwakemi Odia, also known as Kristein Uyanwanne, to 14 years’ imprisonment each over a N67.6 million property fraud.
Justice Mojisola Dada delivered the judgment on Monday, November 2, 2026, after finding the defendants guilty of conspiracy, stealing and obtaining money by false pretence.
The court also ordered the convicts to refund N67,659,592 to the petitioner, Olusola Odemuyiwa.
Politics Nigeria reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), through its Lagos Zonal Directorate 1, prosecuted the couple on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, stealing, obtaining money by false pretence and forgery.
One of the charges alleged that the defendants fraudulently sold a property at No. 19, Murtala Mohammed Way, Ebute Meta, Oyingbo, Lagos, for N16 million in 2010.
The prosecution accused them of falsely claiming they had the authority of the beneficiaries of the estate of late Dr Moshood Babatunde Odemuyiwa to sell the property.
According to the EFCC, the defendants knew the representation was false but proceeded with the transaction with the intention of defrauding the rightful beneficiaries.
During the trial, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution counsel, Fadeke Giwa, called three witnesses and tendered several documents in support of the case, while the defence presented one witness.
Delivering her judgment, Justice Dada held that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt and consequently convicted both defendants on three counts.
The judge sentenced them to three years’ imprisonment for conspiracy, one year for stealing and 10 years for obtaining money by false pretence, without an option of fine.
However, they were discharged on the fourth count bordering on forgery.
Justice Dada further ordered that the first defendant’s sentence be suspended until he is apprehended.
