Thursday, November 5, 2026 - The National Judicial Council, NJC, has suspended three judicial officers for one year without pay and issued cautions to eight others over alleged misconduct, including unlawful detention of litigants, abuse of judicial authority, and violations of due process.
The decisions were reached at the Council’s 112th
meeting, held on November 3, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice
of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
The NJC also approved the issuance of warning letters to
three judges following investigations into petitions concerning their conduct
of judicial proceedings.
Channels TV reports that the affected judicial officers
suspended for one year include Justice Hannatu Mohammed Kabir of the Nasarawa
State High Court, Grand Kadi Mohammed Sani Salihu of the Jigawa State Sharia
Court of Appeal and Justice Sobere Biambo of the Rivers State High Court.
The report states that Justice Kabir was suspended for
ordering the arrest and detention of a litigant for 58 days over alleged
disobedience of a court order without initiating proper contempt proceedings or
serving the mandatory Forms 48 and 49. The Council also barred her from
nomination for elevation for three years, holding that her action violated the
litigant’s right to fair hearing.
Grand Kadi Salihu was suspended over his involvement in
reopening a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court. The investigation
found that he exceeded his authority by constituting a committee to review the
judgment and subsequently assigning the matter to another judge, who received
fresh evidence and delivered a new judgment. The process was held to amount to
an appeal against a valid judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.
Justice Biambo, on his part, was sanctioned for ordering the
arrest of litigants and imposing fines of N300,000 each in a civil dispute
without proper contempt proceedings or service of the prescribed forms. Both
men were also barred from elevation for three years.
The report further mentioned that the Council also cautioned
Justice Kayode Agunloye of the FCT High Court over his handling of
post-judgment garnishee proceedings in a suit involving First Bank of Nigeria
Plc. It found that he granted a fresh ex parte application for a Garnishee
Order Nisi after an earlier similar application had been withdrawn and struck
out, while other pending applications, including an application for stay of
execution, were awaiting hearing.
In a separate set of disciplinary decisions, the NJC
approved warnings and cautions for other judicial officers, including Justice
Bello Kawu, who granted interim bail to former Attorney-General of the
Federation, Abubakar Malami, despite an existing remand order issued by another
judge. Justices Danjuma Oyigbenu and Isa Ebini Kana were also issued warning
letters for delivering judgment in an appeal outside the constitutionally
prescribed 90-day period.
Others cautioned or placed on the Council’s Watch List
include Justice Mohammed Zubairu of the FCT High Court for making orders after
being informed that an appeal had been entered at the Court of Appeal; Justice
C. A. Ogbuagor of the Enugu State High Court for continuing proceedings despite
a pending appeal and application for stay; and Justice Chibuike Azuama of the
Imo State High Court for granting an ex parte garnishee order freezing the
accounts of Puma Energy, a company that was not a party to the substantive
suit. The NJC also considered 35 petitions from its Preliminary Complaints
Assessment Committees, dismissing 24 for lack of merit, recommending four for
further investigation and placing one in abeyance because it was sub judice.
It further directed that investigations should continue into
a petition against Justice G. N. Ugbala of the Ebonyi State High Court despite
the petitioner’s notice of withdrawal.
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