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The Nigeria's National Judicial Council (NJC) has
said that 15 judges including two chief judges, whose identities were not disclosed, are being investigated
for alleged violation of the code of conduct for judicial officers.
A statement by NJC’s Director of
Information, Mr. Soji Oye, added that the decision to investigate the
judges was taken at the council’s 83rd meeting in which the Chief
Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, who also doubles as
its Chairman, presided.
The statement said 15 separate
committees had been constituted to individually investigate the affected judges. "Each
committee will investigate each judge and submit its report to the
council which will take a final decision on their reports."
Mr. Oye stressed that the NJC decided to investigate
the judges after considering reports of its two preliminary complaints
assessment committees on 46 petitions written against judicial officers
at both the federal and state levels.
He said the council also issued letters
of advice to Justice M.A. Dada of the Lagos State High Court of Justice
and Justice Chukwudi Charles Okaa of the Anambra State High Court for
violation of extant laws in the course of their judicial duties based on
petitions written against them by Dayo Adamolekun and Ridwanulah
Olanite, and Reverend F.U. Ekavhiare & Associates, respectively.
He also said that the council dismissed
31 petitions, 29 of which it found unmeritorious, while the remaining
two written against Justice J.T. Tsoho of the Federal High Court, Abuja
and Justice O.O. Akeredolu, the acting Chief Judge of Ondo State, were
withdrawn by the petitioners.
The statement said: “Al-Sagr National
Insurance Company which wrote against Hon. Mr. Justice Tsoho withdrew
its petition since the judge had delivered the ruling in its case.
“Chief Raheem A. Badmus who wrote against Hon. Justice Akeredolu also voluntarily withdrew his petition for personal reasons.
“Council treated the two petitions as
withdrawn since it did not find anything in them sufficiently serious
for further consideration as stipulated in Regulation 9 (1) of the
Judicial Discipline Regulations.”
However, NJC said it considered and
found worthy of further investigation, the petition written by Azi A.
Phillip on behalf of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Plateau
State Chapter, accusing Justice P. D. Damulak, the immediate past Chief
Judge of Plateau State, of bias, for failing to make his judgment in
Suit No. PLD/J/236/16 delivered on 4th November 2016 available to the
parties till the time the petition was written against him.
But NJC said it decided not to
constitute a committee to look into the matter because the chief judge
had already retired from service and was therefore no longer in the
employment of the council.
The council also considered and dismissed petitions written against two other judges, namely, Justice L.T.C. Eruba of the High Court of Justice, Abia State and Grand Kadi Abdullahi Waiya of the Sharia’h Court of Appeal, Kano State, for lack of merit.
Oye said NJC further agreed to report a
legal practitioner, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana, to the Legal Practitioners
Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for misconduct, for the use of uncouth
language in a petition written to the NJC against Justice O.O. Atilade,
the immediate past Chief Judge of Lagos State.
The statement further read: “Council
welcomed as good development, a letter from the Zamfara State Government
approving the recommendation of the NJC for the compulsory removal of
Justice Musa Ibrahim Anka from office for allegedly receiving a bribe of
Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N200,000) from one Zubairu Abdumalik in
order to deliver judgement in his favour.”
NJC had in 2011 made a recommendation to the Zamfara State Government for the removal of the judge.
The council last week also set up a mixed committee headed by a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, to monitor judges handling corruption cases.
The council last week also set up a mixed committee headed by a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, to monitor judges handling corruption cases.
Scripted by: Rostrum
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