Federal High Court To Begin Christmas Vacation December 18

The Nigerian Federal High Court has declared its 2023 Christmas holiday. The court announced in a public notice that the dates of its Christmas vacation are Monday, December 18, 2023, through Friday, January 5, 2024.

The Federal High Court will be closed nationwide during this time, with the exception of its divisions in Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt. Only urgent cases involving the defense of fundamental rights, the arrest or release of vessels, and urgent matters of national importance will be allowed to continue operating out of these sites.

According to the notice signed by the Chief Registrar, Sulaiman Amida Hassan, the court will resume full operations on Monday, January 9th 2024 after the holiday.

The annual vacation indicates the court will not be sitting to hear regular cases for over two weeks as judges and staff proceed on Christmas break. Lawyers and litigants with pending suits have been advised to avoid scheduling hearings during the vacation to prevent adjournments.

Every year, the Federal High Court observes a lengthy Christmas hiatus as part of the holiday season, during which courts close until early January. Before adjourning for the Yuletide break, the court hopes to sweep out time-barred and dormant matters and begin 2024 with a clean docket.