NJC Recommends Appointment of 22 Judicial Officers

NJC Recommends Appointment of 22 Judicial Officers

* Dismisses petitions against 16 judges, reprimands one

By Alex Enumah

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the appointment 22 judicial officers into various levels of courts in the country.

The decision was taken at the second virtual meeting of the council held on August 11 and 12, 2020, a statement by the Director, Information, NJC, Mr Soji Oye, has said.

Other decisions taken at the meeting included a reprimand handed down to a judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for delaying to issue a copy of his judgment to a petitioner.

“Similarly, at the meeting, council considered the report of its Interview Committee and recommended twenty-two (22) judicial officers as Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Heads of Court, Judges of High Court of states, Kadis of states’ Sharia Courts of Appeal and Judges of Customary Courts of Appeal,” he said.

Oye noted that the meeting, which held under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, after it considered the report of its Investigation Committee on the allegation of misconduct against Justice K. N. Ogbonnaya of High Court of the FCT, “resolved to issue warning letter to the judge, following its findings on the petition written against him by Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, that His Lordship refused to release a copy of judgment delivered to the petitioner within the constitutionally prescribed period of seven (7) days”.

“In the same vein, council also dismissed a petition written by Mrs Ademujimi Nancy against Justice Sunday Olorundahunsi for want of merit.

“Council also considered the report of Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee on petitions written against the following sixteen (16) judicial officers and dismissed the allegations levelled against: Justice Ayodele Daramola, Chief Judge, Ekiti State; Justice Sulyman Kawu, Chief Judge, Kwara State; Justices I. N. Oweibo, Hadiza Shagari, Ijeoma Ojukwu, Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa all of the Federal High Court,” the statement read in part.

The others, the statement noted, included Justices B. A. Oke-Lawal, O. A. Ogala of the Lagos State High Court; Justice Augusta Kingsley-Chukwu, High Court of Rivers State; Justice Mustapha Ramat, High Court, Nasarawa State; Justices M. M. Ladan, Muhammed Bello both of the High Court of Kaduna State; Justice Adamu Madaki, High Court of Bauchi State; Justice L. M. Boufini, High Court, Bayelsa State; and Hon. Kadi Goni Kur, Sharia Court of Appeal, Borno State, for either lacking in merit or being subjudice.

The council was also said to have received the final report of its Judicial Ethics Committee and other ad hoc committees set up as well as notification of retirement of 13 judges and notification of death of six judges of states High Courts and Sharia Court of Appeal.

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