The Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria are members of the Supreme Court of Nigeria composed of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and other justices not more than 21 including the chief justice, appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, (NJC)[1] and subject to confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.
Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria have a mandatory retirement age of 70 years.
[2][3] In June 2019, when the court had 16 justices, the president wrote the CJN, asking him as the chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to “initiate in earnest the process of appointing additional five Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to make the full complement of Justices of the Supreme Court” as contained in the Nigerian Constitution.
The recommendation from the National Judicial Council for the appointment of 8 new judges in 2020 after the confirmation by the Nigerian Senate increased the number to 21 Justices.
On 21 December 2023, the Nigerian Senate confirmed the appointment of 11 more Supreme Court justices, bringing the number of justices in the Supreme Court to the maximum constitutional requirement of 21 for the first time since 2020.