STATUTORY INTERPRETATION — Literal Construction — Nothing Added to or Taken from Statute Absent Adequate Grounds
Principle Statement
It is a corollary to the general rule of literal construction that nothing is to be added to or taken from a statute unless there are adequate grounds to justify the inference that the legislature intended something which it omitted to express.
Ratio Decidendi (Source)
Per Onu, JSC, in Ojukwu v. Obasanjo & Ors (2004) NLC-1992003(SC) at p. 24; Paras D–E.
"It is a corollary to the general rule of literal construction that nothing is to be added to or taken from a statute unless there are adequate grounds to justify the inference that the legislature intended something which it omitted to express."
Explanation / Scope
Courts cannot add or subtract from statutes without legislative intent. The principle applies to statutory interpretation. The rule respects legislative supremacy. The court will not imply omitted words. The principle is fundamental.
