NJC sets up panels to probe two chief judges, 13 judicial officers

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has set up 15 panels to probe two chief judges and 13 judicial officers.

In a statement on Monday, Soji Oye, spokesman of NJC, said the council took the decision after considering reports of two preliminary complaints assessment committees which looked into petitions written against the judicial officers at federal and state levels.

Oye said the NJC dismissed a total number of 31 petitions of which 29 were found to be unmeritorious while the remaining two written against John Tsoho, a judge of the federal high court, Abuja and O. O. Akeredolu, acting chief judge of Ondo, were withdrawn.

“The National Judicial Council, under the chairmanship of the Hon. Chief justice of Nigeria, Hon. Mr. Justice Walter Nkanu Samuel Onnoghen, GCON, at its 83rd Meeting constituted 15 Committees to investigate various allegations in the Petitions written against 15 judicial officers, including two chief judges,” the statement by Oye read.

“Al-Sagr National Insurance Company who wrote against Hon. Mr. Justice Tsoho withdrew his petition since the Hon. Judge had delivered the ruling in his case. Chief  Raheem A. Badmus who wrote against Hon. Justice Akeredolu also voluntarily withdrew his petition for personal reasons.

“Council treated the two petitions as withdrawn since it did not find anything in them sufficiently serious for further consideration as stipulated in regulation 9 (1) of the judicial discipline regulations.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 Hon. 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.

“Council however decided not to constitute an investigative committee to look into the matter, because the hon. chief judge had already retired from service and therefore no longer in the employment of the National Judicial Council.”

The NJC spokesman also said the council dismissed petitions against L. T. C. Eruba, a judge in the high court in Abia and Grand Kadi Abdullahi Waiya, a judge of the Sharia’h court of appeal in Kano.

“It also decided to issue two letters of advice to Hon. Mr. Justice M. A. Dada of the Lagos State High Court of Justice and Hon. Mr. 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 their Lordships by Dayo Adamolekun, Esq. & Ridwanulah Olanite, Esq. and Reverend F. U. Ekavhiare & Associates respectively,” it read.

“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 National Judicial Council against Hon. Justice O. O. Atilade, the immediate past chief judge of Lagos state.”