Federal High Court Announces Christmas Vacation Dates

The Federal High Court of Nigeria has announced that its 2026 Christmas vacation will begin on December 21 and end on January 5, 2027, with regular court sittings scheduled to resume on January 6.

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, approved the vacation dates and the appointment of judges who will handle urgent cases during the period.

The announcement was contained in a press release issued on Monday, November 9, by the court’s Director of Information, Dr Catherine Oby Christopher.

According to the notice, the decision was made pursuant to Order 46, Rule 4(c) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019.

Although regular court activities will be suspended during the vacation, selected judicial divisions will remain operational to provide essential services to members of the public.

The court stated that vacation judges would handle only specific categories of cases requiring urgent judicial attention.

These include applications involving the enforcement of fundamental human rights, the arrest or release of vessels and other matters of urgent national importance.

The court also listed the trial of pre-election cases among the matters that may be heard during the vacation.

Four judicial divisions have been designated to operate during the period: Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu.

In the Abuja Judicial Division, Justices I. E. Ekwo and O. A. Egwuatu will serve as vacation judges.

The Lagos Judicial Division will be handled by Justices Akintayo Aluko and Ogazi F. Nkemakonam.

For the Port Harcourt Judicial Division, the designated judges are Justices P. M. Ayua and A. T. Mohammed.

Justices F. O. G. Ogunbanjo and M. T. Segun-Bello will oversee urgent matters in the Enugu Judicial Division.

The arrangement is expected to ensure that litigants with urgent cases are not left without access to judicial services while the court observes its annual Christmas break.

The Chief Judge also extended Christmas and New Year greetings to judges and members of the Federal High Court ahead of the festive season.

The vacation will cover the Christmas and New Year period, while normal judicial activities across the court are expected to return on Wednesday, January 6, 2027.

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