Ondo Govt Appoints 5 More High Court Judges

Ondo State governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has hinted that his administration has approved the appointment of five additional High Court judges to strengthen the judiciary and speed up justice delivery.

Aiyedatiwa stated this when he was the special guest of honour at the Post-NBA Annual Conference Knowledge-Cascading and Interactive Session organised by the Ondo State Ministry of Justice at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office, Akure.

Represented by his chief of staff, Prince Segun Omojuwa, the governor said the decision was in recognition of the increasing demands on the judiciary and the need to further strengthen its capacity to reduce the workload on existing judges, address case backlog and improve the administration of justice.

He said his administration had earlier amended the law increasing the number of High Court judges in the state from 24 to 35, describing it as a historic development and the first increase in the number of judges since the creation of Ondo State in 1976.

Aiyedatiwa said six High Court Judges were appointed and sworn in in October 2024 following the amendment, adding that the government had also invested in judicial infrastructure, including the construction of the ultra-modern Ondo State Judiciary Complex in Akure and the renovation of courts outside the state capital.‎

‎The governor said, “I have also approved the commencement of the process for the appointment of five additional High Court Judges, in recognition of the increasing demands on our Judiciary and the need to further strengthen and expedite justice delivery.”

‎Aiyedatiwa also disclosed that his administration had facilitated the employment of 44 additional lawyers into the state’s legal service since 2024, comprising 20 lawyers employed in 2024 and 24 in 2026.

‎Also speaking at the event, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Kayode Ajulo, said the ministry needed substantial resources to effectively discharge its responsibilities, noting that government lawyers must be equipped to defend the state without fear.

‎He said, “We must become a future-ready ministry. We must digitize our process. We must preserve the shared knowledge. We must strengthen research. We must improve legislative drafting.”

‎The Attorney-General said the ministry had also resolved that its lawyers should attend the annual Nigerian Bar Association conference, with the approval of the governor, so that knowledge acquired could be cascaded and applied to improve the ministry’s operations.

‎Ajulo further challenged lawyers in the state’s Ministry of Justice to aspire to produce Senior Advocates of Nigeria from among its legal officers, saying the ministry should develop a structured pathway for its lawyers to attain the rank.

‎He said the legal profession was being transformed by artificial intelligence, digital evidence, cybercrime, data protection and technology-driven commerce, urging legal officers to continuously update their knowledge and ensure that expertise acquired by one officer remained within the institution.