The Federal High Court of Nigeria has announced its Christmas vacation for the year 2023. In a public notice, the court said its Christmas break will start on Monday, December 18th 2023 and end on Friday, January 5th 2024.

During this period, the Federal High Court will be closed across the country except for its Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt divisions. These locations will remain open only for urgent cases concerning the enforcement of fundamental rights, arrest or release of vessels, and matters of pressing national interest.

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.

The Federal High Court typically observes a long Christmas recess every year as part of the holiday season when courts reduce activities until early January. The court will be hoping to start 2024 with

a clean docket after clearing time-barred and dormant cases before vacating for the Yuletide break.

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