The Federal High Court of Nigeria has announced that it will proceed on its 2026 Easter vacation from April 7 to April 13, 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday and signed by the Director of Information of the court, Dr Catherine Christopher, the court said the decision was “pursuant to the provisions of Order 46, Rule 4(c) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019 (as amended).”
According to the circular, the Chief Judge of the court, John Terhemba Tsoho, approved the vacation period, adding that normal sittings would resume on April 14 across all judicial divisions.
The court, however, stated that the core judicial divisions in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu would remain open during the vacation to attend to matters of extreme urgency.
The statement noted that only cases relating to the enforcement of fundamental rights, arrest or release of vessels, and issues concerning dire national interest would be entertained during the period.
“The court shall resume normal sittings on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, in all judicial divisions.
“During the vacation period, the Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu core judicial divisions shall remain open to the public strictly for matters of extreme urgency.
“It should be noted that only matters relating to the enforcement of fundamental rights; arrest or release of vessels; and matters concerning dire national interest shall be entertained by the vacation judges during the period,” the statement read.
It added that the following judges had been designated to serve as vacation judges in the respective divisions.
In the Abuja Judicial Division, the judges are Emeka Nwite and Musa S. Liman, while the Lagos Judicial Division will have Akintayo Aluko and Ogazi F. Nkemakonam.
For the Port Harcourt Judicial Division, the designated judges are Phoebe M. Ayua and Adamu T. Mohammed, while the Enugu Judicial Division will be handled by Mabel T. Segun-Bello.
The circular further advised the vacation judges and heads of divisions to promptly refer any matter requiring urgent attention to the Chief Judge for necessary directives.
It also stated that the dates announced in the circular supersede any earlier dates that might have been circulated or obtained from other sources.
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