The chief judge of Rivers, Simeon Chibuzor-Amadi, has announced that the annual vacation for judges of the Rivers State High Court will commence on July 20.

This was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday by the chief registrar of the court, David Ihua-Maduenyi. Normal court sittings will resume on September 16.

It explained that the vacation was in line with Order 49, Rule 4(D) of the High Court of Rivers State Civil Procedure Rules, 2023 (as amended), noting that all judicial divisions of the court across the state would remain closed during the vacation period.

”Annual court vacation is a routine judicial exercise designed to provide judges with a recess after a year of judicial duties,” the statement said.

The chief judge, however, said that adequate provisions had been made to ensure that litigants with urgent matters would not be denied access to the courts during the vacation period.

Mr Chibuzor-Amadi said the vacation judges, appointed by the chief judge, would handle urgent matters filed during the vacation period and also enable the hearing and determination of applications requiring immediate judicial intervention.

Mr Chibuzor-Amadi explained that the arrangement was intended to ensure uninterrupted access to justice in deserving and time-sensitive cases.

The annual vacation is a standard practice in the judiciary and forms part of measures to promote the efficient administration of justice. 

(NAN)