CIVIL PROCEDURE — Judgment — Court’s Duty — Based on Issues Joined and Reliefs Sought
Ratio Decidendi
Per Musdapher, JSC, in Ogunyade v. Oshunkeye & Anor (2007) NLC-123-364-2002(SC) at pp. 4–5; Paras E–A:
"A judgment of court must be based and confined to the issues joined by the parties in their pleadings. A judgment unrelated to the relief sought or the issues joined of a claim tried on pleadings cannot be sustained. While a court may in a proper case award less than is claimed, the court cannot and should not award more than the claim in the pleadings."
Explanation / Scope
A court’s judgment must be confined to the issues joined in the pleadings and the reliefs sought by the parties. The court cannot grant a relief not claimed, nor decide on issues not pleaded. While the court may award less than claimed where appropriate, it has no power to award more than what is claimed. This principle ensures parties are not taken by surprise and that the court does not exceed its jurisdiction.