Federal High Court Announces Christmas Vacation, Resumes Sitting January 6

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

The Chief Judge of the court, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, approved the vacation schedule in accordance with Order 46, Rule 4(c) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019.

The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Information of the court, Dr Catherine Oby-Christopher.

According to the statement, designated judicial divisions will remain operational during the vacation to attend to urgent matters requiring judicial intervention.

The court named Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu as the judicial divisions that will provide essential services during the period.

For the Abuja division, Justices Inyang Edem Ekwo and Obiora Egwuatu have been designated as vacation judges.

At the Lagos division, Justices Akintayo Aluko and Ogazi F. Nkemakonam will handle cases during the break.

Justices P. M. Ayua and A. T. Mohammed will serve at the Port Harcourt division, while Justices Folashade Giwa-Ogunbanjo and M. T. Segun-Bello have been assigned to the Enugu division.

The Chief Judge explained that the vacation judges would entertain only matters involving the enforcement of fundamental rights, the arrest or release of vessels and other issues of urgent national importance, including the trial of pre-election cases.

The court added that the arrangement was designed to ensure that litigants could still access essential judicial services despite the suspension of regular court sittings.

Justice Tsoho also extended Christmas and New Year wishes to judges and other members of the court ahead of the festive season.