27 judges face probe for alleged misconduct

The National Judicial Council has issued a letter of advice to an Oyo State High Court Judge, Justice O. M. Olagunju, urging her to be circumspect as a judicial officer before acting, even in the most challenging situation.

Justice Olagunju was said to have used uncouth language in a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, challenging the Council’s decision and its Policy Direction on the appointment of the President of the Customary Court of Appeal in Oyo State.

The NJC Director of Information, Soji Oye, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, added that the NJC also constituted four probe panels to investigate 27 high court judges over alleged judicial misconduct brought against them.

The NJC at its 106th meeting presided over by the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, considered the report of its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee on 22 petitions written against 27 Judicial Officers of the Federal and State High Courts.

“Council at the meeting considered the report of its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee on 22 petitions written against 27 judicial officers of the Federal and State High Courts and decided to empanel four committees to investigate allegations in the petitions that were found meritorious”.

However, 18 petitions were discountenanced for lacking in merit, abandoned or being subjudice.

The discountenanced petitions are against the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, Justice Williams Dawodu, Justice B. Georgewill, Justice Yargata Timpar, Justice S. Samchi, Justice Aisha Aliyu, Justice A. Aderibigbe, Justice M. Shuaibu, Justice H. Abiru and Justice Abdulazeez Waziri all of the Court of Appeal.

Others are the Chief Judge, Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, Justice Z. Abubakar, Justice James Omotosho, Justice Sunday Onu all of the Federal High Court and Justice Okon Abang when he was serving at the Federal High Court.

The rest are Justice Kayode Agunloye of the FCT High Court, Justice Babagana Karumi of the High Court Borno State, Justice Maimuna Abubakar of the High Court of Niger State, Justice A. Aderibigbe of Osun State High Court and Justice Aisha Aliyu of Nasarawa State High Court.