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The National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended three judicial officers for one year without pay and cautioned eight others over various acts of misconduct, including unlawful detention of litigants, abuse of judicial powers and disregard for due process.
The decisions were taken at the Council’s 112th meeting held on November 3, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the three suspended judicial officers are 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 NJC also barred the three judicial officers from being considered for elevation for three years.
Justice Kabir was suspended over her decision to order the arrest and detention of a litigant for 58 days over alleged disobedience of a court order without following the required contempt proceedings.
According to the Council, the judge failed to serve the litigant the mandatory Forms 48 and 49 before ordering the detention.
The NJC held that her actions violated the litigant’s right to fair hearing and amounted to an abuse of judicial authority.
Similarly, Grand Kadi Salihu was suspended for exceeding his judicial powers by reopening a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court.
The Council found that he constituted a committee to review the judgment and subsequently transferred the matter to another judge, who received fresh evidence and delivered a new judgment.
The NJC considered the process improper, holding that it amounted to an appeal against a valid judgment delivered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Justice Biambo was also suspended for ordering the arrest of litigants and imposing fines of N300,000 on each of them in connection with a civil dispute without following the prescribed contempt proceedings.
The Council further cautioned Justice Kayode Agunloye of the FCT High Court over his handling of post-judgment garnishee proceedings in a case involving First Bank of Nigeria Plc.
The NJC found that the judge granted a fresh ex parte application for a Garnishee Order Nisi after an earlier similar application had been withdrawn and struck out.
It also noted that other applications, including a request for a stay of execution, were still pending before the court when he granted the fresh order.
In another disciplinary decision, the Council approved a warning for Justice Bello Kawu over his decision to grant 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 judgments in an appeal outside the constitutionally prescribed 90-day period.
Other judicial officers cautioned or placed on the Council’s Watch List include Justice Mohammed Zubairu of the FCT High Court, who allegedly made 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 was also cautioned for continuing proceedings despite a pending appeal and an application for a stay of execution.
Similarly, Justice Chibuike Azuama of the Imo State High Court was cautioned 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 submitted by its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees. It dismissed 24 petitions for lacking merit, recommended four for further investigation and placed one on hold because the matter was already before a court.
The Council further directed that investigations into a petition against Justice G. N. Ugbala of the Ebonyi State High Court should continue despite the petitioner’s decision to withdraw the complaint.
Meanwhile, the NJC recommended 28 candidates for judicial appointments across several states.
The recommendations include 24 candidates for appointment as judges of the High Courts of Kano, Ebonyi, Edo, Adamawa and Ogun States.
Other recommendations include a Grand Kadi for the Plateau State Sharia Court of Appeal, a Kadi for the Adamawa State Sharia Court of Appeal and two judges for the Adamawa State Customary Court of Appeal.
The Council also directed the Imo State Judicial Service Commission to include the name of the Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ijeoma Agugua, on the shortlist for appointment as substantive Chief Judge following a petition challenging her exclusion.
In addition, the NJC approved the retirement notifications of six judicial officers, including two justices of the Supreme Court.
The Council also expressed condolences over the deaths of nine judicial officers recorded between May and September 2026.
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