DILATORY ADJUDICATION OF DISPUTES IN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Abstract

Dilatory or delayed adjudication of disputes has always been a threat to justice. This trend is not peculiar to any State or region. It is universal. Courts at domestic and international levels have grappled with it. This article embarks on a detailed exposition of specific cases and how the actors' conduct bogged down the court's affairs. It highlights the unique ways that the States, International Organisations, litigants, legal representatives and the courts have abused time limits meant to perform legal acts. This article constrains itself to Nigerian courts, the International Court of Justice, and the United Kingdom. This article is expository, not comparative. It proffers statutory amendment and stricter measures by the courts as the way forward.