Godwin Tsa , Abuja
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has set up an eight-member committee to investigate eight judicial officers who were the subjects of petitions for alleged misconduct.
The NJC took the decision to empanel the committee to probe the eight after deliberating on the report of its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee. It had received 35 petitions against 37 judges of federal and state high courts.
The remaining petitions were summarily dismissed for lack of merit, being subjudice, concerning administrative matters, or that such petitions were matters for appeal.
The dismissed petitions were against Justice Adamu Abdu-Kafarati, the immediate past Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justices Anwuli Chikere, H.I.O. Oshoma, Ayo Emmanuel, all of the Federal High Court; Justice J.D. Peters, National Industrial Court of Nigeria; Justice S.E. Aladetoyinbo (rtd), of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory; Justice Opeyemi Oke (rtd), Chief Judge of Lagos State; and Justices K.A. Jose, S.S. Ogunsanya, T.A. Oyekan-Abdullahi, O.O. Femi-Adeniyi and D.T. Okuwobi, all of the Lagos State High Court of Justice.
Others are Justice Mojisola Idayat Sule, Oyo State High Court; Justices R.D. Harriman, A.O. Omamogbo, Michael Nduka Obi, High Court of Justice, Delta State; Justice E.N. Thompson, Rivers State High Court; Justice Inaikende Eradiri, High Court, Bayelsa State; Justices N.B. Ukoha and B.C. Iheka of the High Court of Justice, Imo State; Justices F.I.N. Ngwu, R.O. Odugu, Enugu State High Court; Justice Abdulkadir H. Suleiman, Bauchi State High Court; and Justice Garba Abdulkadir of the Katsina State High Court of Justice.
The statement added that, “Council also approved the recommendation of two committees earlier set up to investigate Hon. Justice Winifred I.A. Effiong of Akwa Ibom State High Court of Justice and Hon. Justice Bello Aliyu Gusau of High of Justice, Zamfara State, which absolved them of any judicial misconduct.”
Meanwhile, the council, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, has recommended the appointment of 22 judges, comprising four justices of the Supreme Court and four heads of court.
The appointments were made by the NJC after its meeting of October 22 and 23, which considered the list of candidates presented by its Interview Committee.
Accordingly, the NJC has recommended the appointment of the 22 judges to President Muhammadu Buhari, and the governors of Edo, Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Kogi, Anambra, Taraba, Abia, Osun, Nasarawa and Jigawa states, for appointment as justices of the Supreme Court, heads of Court and other judicial officers in Nigeria.
The four justices recommended to the President for appointment to the Supreme Court are Justice Adamu Jauro, JCA (North-East Zone); Justice Emmanuel A. Agim, JCA (South-South Zone); Justice C. Oseji, JCA (South-South Zone) and Justice Helen M. Ogunwumiju, JCA (South-West Zone).
The NJC also recommended the appointment of Justice John Terhemba Tsoho as the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, while Justice B.B. Kanyip was recommended for appointment as the president of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
The council equally recommended the appointment of Justice Esther Amenaghawon Edigin as the Chief Judge of Edo State, as Justice Eunice Aderonke Alade was recommended for appointment as president, Customary Court of Appeal.
The appointment also included four judges of Osun State High Court, namely, Mathias Olusegun Agboola, Esq; Sikiru Adeposi Oke, Esq; Olorunfemi Judith Ajanaku, Esq; and Lawrence Olawale Arojo, Esq.
It equally recommended the appointment of Bawa Sunday Baba as a judge of the Nasarawa State High Court and Nkeruwem Martin Obot, Esq., to the bench of Akwa Ibom State High Court.
Others are Yahaya Adamu, judge, Kogi State High Court, Onyinye Samuel Anumonye and Victoria Nwoye as judges, Anambra State High Court.
The rest are Goje Hamman, Taraba State High Court, Benson Anya, Enyinnaya Okezie and Adiele Ogbonna as judges of Abia State High Court, while Ibrahim Alhaji Ya’u was recommended for appointment as Khadi, Sharia Court of Appeal, Jigawa State.
A statement by the director of information, NJC, Soji Oye, said all the appointed judges were to be sworn in after the approval of the President and their respective state governors and or confirmation by the Senate and state Houses of Assembly, as the case may be.