• Wike’s wife, 21 others elevated to Court of Appeal
From Godwin Tsa Abuja
The National Judicial Council (NJC) at its plenary of 105th Meeting has resolved to issue warning letters to three judges and also barred them from elevation to higher bench for a period of time.
This is contained in a statement by the Director of Information of NJC Mr. Soji Oye, on Friday in Abuja.
The judges that will receive the warning letters are justices Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, G. B. Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court and Amina Shehu of Yobe High Court.
Ekwo was warned for abuse of discretionary power of a judge by wrongly granting an ex parte order in Suit No FHC/ABJ/C/626/2023 Juliet Ebere Nwadi Gbaka & 2 Ors V Seplat Energy Plc & 12 Ors, he was also barred from being elevated to a higher Bench for a period of two years.
Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court was issued a warning for failure to deliver judgment within stipulated period in Joseph Anene Okafor Vs Skye Bank, Suit No A/94/2010 after parties had filed and adopted their final Written Addresses.
Brikins-Okolosi will also not be elevated to a higher Bench for a period of three years.
The council also cautioned Justice Amina Shehu of Yobe State High Court for issuing Writ of Possession Conferring Title on the Defendant in Suit No YBS/HC/NNR/1cv/2020 when there was no subsisting judgment of any court to enable His Lordship issue the Writ.
The NJC said that the council at the meeting considered two reports of its two Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees that filtered 35 petitions written against judges of the Federal and State High Courts and decided to empanel eight Committees to further investigate the petitions that were found meritorious by the Committees.
It said that some petitions against various judges were dismissed for lack of merit, evidence of misconduct, subjudice or that they were matters that could be appealed.
It said the council also deliberated on the notification of retirements of three judicial officers including that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, and notification of death of three judges of the federal and state courts.
Council also considered the recommendation of its Interview Committee on Appointment of Judicial Officers of all Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria and resolved to recommend 86 judicial officers for appointment to the Court of Appeal, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Sharia Courts of Appeal and Customary Courts of Appeal of states.
The 22 judicial officers elevated to the bench of the Court of Appeal are: Justice Kwahar Polycarp Terna; Justice Ruqayat Oremei Ayoola; Justice Eleojo Eneche; Hon. Justice Asma’u Akanbi-Yusuf; Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman; Justice Abdu Dogo; Justice Fadawu Umaru; Justice Ishaq Mohammed Sani; Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar; and Justice Abdulazeez M. Anka.
The rest are: Justice Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba; Justice Nwoye Victoria Tochukwu; Justice Nwabunkeonye Onwosi; Justice Okorowo Donatus Uwaezuoke; Justice Ngozika Uwazurunonye Okaisabor; Justice Ntong Festus Ntong; Justice Nehizena Idemudia Afolabi; Justice Nyesom-Wike Eberechi Suzzette; Justice Lateef Babajide Lawal-Akapo; Justice Akinyemi Abiodun Azeem; Justice Oyewumi Oyejoju Oyebiola and Justice Olukayode Adegbola Adeniyi.