Judges | courts | departments | management team | faith
The Benue State Judiciary began with touring sessions which were held by Judges of the then Benue Plateau High Court. (Benue Plateau being the defunct state from which Benue state was created. The capital of Benue Plateau and location of the Benue Plateau High Court was Jos while the capital of Benue state is Makurdi)
In 1973, Hon. Justce E. A. Adewuyi became the pioneer Resident Judge, a position he held until the creation of Benue State in 1976.
Consequent upon this development, a substantive Chief Judge, Hon. Justice J. M. Adesuyin was appointed for the State.
Two other Judges: Hon. Justice Sylvester Umaru Onu, later a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Hon. Justice James Ogebe then in acting capacity, and later a retired Justice of the Supreme Court were appointed.
The need for expansion led to the appointment of the Hon. Justice A. P. Anyebe and Hon. Justice A. I. Katsina Alu, later retired Justice of Nigeria.
Hon. Justice Alhassan Idoko was lelevated to the position of a Judge of the Benue State High Court albeit in acting capacity, on the 1st August, 1978 and rose to the exalted position of the Chief Judge of the State on the 14th May, 1985 before the cold hands of death snatched him on the 31st March, 1999.
Hon. Justice N. C. O. Anuga was appointed to the High Court Bench on 1st October, 1980. He died in 1987 while still in office.
Hon. Justice L. G. Anoliefo was appointed Judge of the High Court on 1st February, 1981 and was murdered in December, 1986.
Hon. Justice Ali Umaru Eri, later to become a retired Chief Judge of Kogi State, was appointed High Court Judge in Benue State on the 1st December, 1981, but was deployed to Kogi State following the creation of that state in 1991.
Hon. Justice Terna U. Fefa Puusu was elevated to the High Court Bench on the 1st November, 1984.
That elevation in 1984 was followed by that of Hon. Justice E. O. Ogbole and S. O. Ochimana on the 21st January, 1986.
Hon. Justice A. P. B. Utsaha was appointed to the High Court Bench on the 30th June, 1987.
Other appointments were those of Hon. Justice Ejembi Eko, later Justice of the Supreme Court and Justice Iorhemen Hwande who were elevated to the High Court Bench on the 20th February, 1989.
Hon. Justce T. S. Yakubu (who was later deployed to Kogi State) and J. S. Ikyegh had their turn on the 27th March, 1991, while Hon. Justice A. O. Onum was appointed on 1st August, the same year.
Hon. Justice D. T. Ahura and Hon. Justice J. T. Tur, were appointed on the 1st February, 1993.
The Hon. Justices A. Kaka’an, E. N. Kpojime and S. J. Ogwiji were appointed Judges of the High Court on the 30th November, 1995.
With the establishment of the Customary Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice A. P. B. Utsaha, was appointed its pioneer President along with Hon. Justices M. M. Igbetar, C. I. Oklobia and S. S. Oyaje as Judges of that Court on the 30th November, 1995.
Upon the demise of Hon. Justice Alhassan Idoko in 1999, Hon. Justice Terna U. Fefa Puusu was appointed Chief Judge on the 27th May, 1999.
3rd day of May, 2001 was a remarkable day: Six Judicial Officers, were appointed to the High Bench, Hon. Justices S. O. Itodo, M. A. Ikpambese, A. K. Baaki and T. A. Igoche, M. O. Gbim-Gbande and C. A. Idye were appointed for the High Court and Customary Court of Appeal respective.
The Hon. Justice E. O. Ogbole retired from the High Court Bench in 2002.
Following the retirement of Hon. Justice A. P. B. Utsaha in March, 2003, Hon. Justice M. M. Igbetar was appointed as President of the Customary Court of Appeal and was sworn-in on 6th June, 2013.
Upon attainment of the statutory age of 65 years, Hon. Justice Terna U. Fefa Puusu took his final bow on the 19th October, 2005.
Hon. Justice Iorhemen Hwande was sworn-in as the 4th Chief Judge of the State on the 6th day of April, 2006. But before this day Hon. Justice Ejembi Eko acted in that capacity for three months.
Hon. Justices W. I. Kpochi and T. A. Kume were appointed on the 18th January, 2007.
Hon. Justice Ejembe Eko was elevated to the Court of Appeal on 8th February, 2008.
Hon. Justice O. E. Ejembi and T. T. Asua were appointed to the High Court Bench on 18th August, 2008.
Hon. Justice S. S. Chaha was appointed Judge of the Customary Court of Appeal on 19th March, 2010.
Following the elevation of Justice J. S. Ikyegh and Justice J. T. Tur to the Court of Appeal, on the 26th July, 2010, five High Court Judges were appointed on the 26th October, 2010. They are Hon. Justices P. T. Kwahar, D. E. Igoh, M. A. Abounu, J. M. Ijohor and D. M. Igyuse.Hon. Justice T.M. Shija was appointed to the High Court Bench on 31st October, 2014.
After the retirement of Hon. Justic M. M. Igbetar OFR, on 17th October, 2015 upon attainment of the statutory age of 65 years Hon. Justice C. A. Idye was appointed as President of the Customary Court of Appeal and was sworn-in on the 19th October, 2015.
In order to meet the quorum requirement of the Customary Court of Appeal two new Judges, namely Justice C. I. Bakare and Justice M. T. Ugar were appointed and sworn-in on the 16th November, 2015.
Hon. Justice Augustine I. Ityonyiman was appointed to the High Court Bench and sworn in on the 1st March, 2016.
Hon. Justice Ejembi Eko was on 15th October 2016 appointed Justice of the Supreme Court.
The Benue State High Court, which started as touring sessions and metamorphosed into a State Judiciary in 1976 soon blossomed into a sizeable Judiciary of about 1,190 staff.
The Benue State Judiciary, as at 2023, comprises nineteen Judges for High Court and four Judges for Customary Court of Appeal.
For the High Court, nine of the Judges (the Chief Judge inclusive), are in Makurdi, three in Gboko, two in Otukpo and one each in Katsina-Ala, Vandeikya, Okpoga, Adikpo and Sankera.
The Lower Courts are part of the expansion. From the initial touring Magistrates to Resident Magistrates at Makurdi, Gboko and Otukpo, Benue State Judiciary later have thirty-three (33) Magistrate Courts and a Juvenile Court.
In the Area Courts Sector, there are eighty four (84) Area Courts while all the Grade One Area Courts in each of the Local Government Headquarters were upgraded to the status of Upper Area Courts, with the aim of widening the jurisdiction of these courts thereby bringing justice to the door steps of those who seek it.
With this development, the Grade II Area Court has been phased out.
There is a total of twenty-five (25) Upper Area Courts and fifty-nine (59) Grade One Area Courts spread across the nooks and crannies of the State.
Following the enactment of the now repealed Decree Number 43 of 1998 which introduced the civil service reforms, the Benue State Judiciary was restructured into five departments namely:
The Chief Registrar is the head of the Management Team.
The departments are each headed by a Director who is answerable to the Chief Registrar.
There is also the Internal Audit Unit which is answerable to the Chief Registrar.
As the Judiciary was growing, the spiritual dimension was also growing.
From small prayer sessions conducted in offices, it blossomed under the able leadership of the Chief Judge, the Hon. Justice Iorhemen Hwande, OFR into a full-fledged Chapel which was formally commissioned by His Excellency Samuel Ortom, the Executive Governor of Benue State on 14th September, 2015.
Weekly prayers hold in the chapel (Chapel of Redemption) every Monday from 7:30 am to 8:00 am, while monthly fellowships hold every last Friday of the month.
The meetings are open to all staff of the Judiciary, Christian Lawyers and interested members of the public.
COMPREHENSIVE BRIEFS ON THE BENUE STATE CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL
The Customary Court of Appeal, the Judiciary, Benue State, was established by Edict No. 1 of 1994 (which is now Cap. 52, Laws of Benue State, 2004), as a Superior Court of Record, pursuant to Section 280 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). Section 282(1) of the Constitution states:
“A Customary Court of Appeal of a State shall exercise Appellate and Supervisory Jurisdiction in Civil Proceedings involving questions of Customary Law.”
The Court, at the moment, is only exercising appellate jurisdiction in Civil Proceedings involving questions of Customary Law, and is yet to be accorded supervisory jurisdiction over Customary (Area) Courts as envisaged by the Constitution.
By the provision of the Customary Court of Appeal Law, the Court is supposed to have a total of Eight Judges. However, as of today, the Court has only Six judges headed by a President in the person of Hon. Justice C. A. Idye, OFR. The Court hears appeals on cases which emanate from the Area Courts on questions of Customary Law. The Court has divided the State into Six Zones for the purpose of hearing appeals, viz: Makurdi where the Court is located; as well as Gboko, Otukpo, Katsina-Ala, Adikpo and Vandeikya.
The Chief Registrar is the Head of Administration and Accounting Officer of the Court, and ranks at par with Permanent Secretaries and Clerk of the House of Assembly. The Court has three Departments. The Litigation Department is headed by a Deputy Chief Registrar. There is also a Deputy Chief Registrar in charge of General Duties. The Department of Finance &Accounts, as well as Administration & Supply are each headed by a Director.
As earlier stated, the Court was established as a Superior Court of Record to exercise Appellate and Supervisory Jurisdiction in Civil Proceedings involving questions of Customary Law.
This is aimed at facilitating quick justice delivery and to increase the number of cases disposed within a period. This Court has high potential of improving and developing Customary Laws in the country in general, and Benue State in particular.
The establishment of the Customary Court of Appeal in the State has brought great relief to the State High Court and Litigants, as the huge burden of appeals from Area Courts in Civil Cases have been taken off the High Court, and are now disposed more expeditiously by this Court due to its ability to sit for appeals on all working days as compared to the High Court which sits on appeals only once in every quarter of a year.