THE National Judicial Council (NJC) has constituted 15 Committees to investigate various allegations contained in the petitions written against 15 Judicial Officers, including two Chief Judges.
The Director, Information of the NJC Soji Oye said in a statement on Monday that the Council, under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen took the decision to probe the Judicial Officers at the end of its 83rd meeting held in Abuja.
According to the statement, the decision was taken after considering the reports of the two Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees, on 46 petitions written against Judicial Officers in the Federal and State Judiciaries.
The Council also welcomed as good development, a letter from the Zamfara State Government approving its recommendation for the compulsory removal of Justice Musa Ibrahim Anka from office for allegedly receiving a bribe of N200, 000 from one Zubairu Abdumalik in order to deliver judgement in his favour.
The recommendation for Justice Anka’s sack was made to the Zamfara State Government by the NJC in 2011.
Oye also said the NJC dismissed 31 petitions, 29 of which it found unmeritorious, and the remaining two, written against Justice John T Tsoho of the Federal High Court and Justice O. O. Akeredolu, the Acting Chief Judge of Ondo State were withdrawn at the instance of the petitioners.
Al-Sagr of the National Insurance Company who wrote against Justice Tsoho withdrew his petition since the Judge had delivered the ruling in his case and Chief Raheem A Badmus who wrote against Justice Akeredolu also voluntarily withdrew his petition for personal reasons.
The statement reads, “Council treated the two petitions as withdrawn, since it did not find anything in them sufficiently serious for further consideration as stipulated in Regulation 9 (1) of the Judicial Discipline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.
“Council 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 failure to make his judgment in suit No. PLD/J/236/16 delivered on 4th November, 2016 available to him till the time he wrote the petition”, it added.
The statement said the NJC however decided not to constitute an Investigative Committee to look into the matter, because the Chief Judge had already retired from service and therefore no longer in the employment of the NJC.
Oye said further that the NJC, at its 83rd meeting, also considered and dismissed petitions written against Justice L. T. C. Eruba, High Court of Justice, Abia State and Grand Kadi Abdullahi Waiya of the Sharia’h Court of Appeal, Kano State for lack of merit.
The Council also decided to issue two 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 petition written against them by Dayo Adamolekun, Esq. & Ridwanulah Olanite, Esq. and Reverend F. U. Ekavhiare & Associates respectively.
Council agreed to report Adesina Ogunlana, Esq., to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (L.P.D.C.) 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.