Judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria will proceed on this year’s Christmas vacation from Friday, December 19, 2025.

According to the official schedule, court sittings will resume across all judicial divisions on Wednesday, January 7, 2026.

The vacation timetable was announced in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Information of the Court, Catherine Oby Christopher.

She said the schedule was approved pursuant to Order 46, Rule 4(c) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019 (as amended).

“The Federal High Court hereby issues notice of its 2025 Christmas Vacation as well as the approved roster of Vacation Judges,” the statement said.

It added that the vacation was approved through a circular signed by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho.

During the vacation, the core judicial divisions in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt will remain operational and accessible to the public. only matters relating to the enforcement of fundamental rights, arrest or release of vessels, and issues of urgent national importance will be entertained by vacation judges.

The designated vacation judges for the period are as follows:

The Abuja Division will have Justices Emeka Nwite and Mohammed S. Liman.

The Lagos Division will have Justices Akintayo Aluko and Isaac D. Dipeolu.

The Port Harcourt Division will have Justices P. M. Ayua and A. T. Mohammed.

The Enugu Division will have Justice Folasade Ogunbanjo.

Justice Tsoho also extended his warm wishes for a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all judges of the court.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro (SAN), has dismissed reports claiming that actor Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, was “cleared” by the Court of Appeal, describing the claim as false and capable of misleading the public.

The AG emphasised that the actor’s release followed the completion of his jail term as affirmed by the appellate court, not because he was absolved of guilt.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos yesterday, Pedro said his attention was drawn to a social media post by actor Yomi Fabiyi, later republished by online platforms, alleging that the appellate court had exonerated Baba Ijesha of all charges, including the sexual offences involving a minor for which he was convicted.

He said the assertion was a deliberate misrepresentation of the judicial record.

Pedro explained that the clarification became necessary following Fabiyi’s claims that the Court of Appeal had declared the entire case a “charade” and absolved the actor of wrongdoing.

He stressed that no part of the appellate court’s judgment granted such a clearance.