Judge Who Had Interest In Case Suspended Without Pay, Others Sanctioned As NJC Barks And Bites

The National Judicial Council (NJC) took significant action on Friday, suspending two judges for misconduct and recommending compulsory retirements for others.

Justice G. C. Aguma of the Rivers State High Court and Justice A. O. Nwabunike of the Anambra State High Court were both suspended for one year without pay. Additionally, they will be placed on a watch list for two years after their suspension.

The NJC’s findings revealed that Justice Aguma had facilitated the enforcement of a judgment from the FCT High Court in Abuja at the Bori Division of the Rivers State High Court. The Council stated, “The Council finds that Justice Aguma failed to raise any query as to why the garnishee proceedings were brought to his Court in Bori for a money judgment that could effectively be enforced in Abuja.”

The ruling had been delivered on July 15, 2020, at the High Court of the FCT, but the judgment certificate was registered in Bori the following day. “The speed with which the Hon. Justice Aguma took and granted the order absolute against the judgment debtors showed that he had an interest,” the NJC added.

The Council also pointed out that Aguma failed to consider a stay of execution granted in favor of the judgment debtors by the Bwari High Court, which had been brought to his attention.

Justice Nwabunike was found to have violated judicial conduct rules by granting ex parte orders without the required motions. The NJC found that Nwabunike “failed to adhere to the principle of stare decisis from his different interpretation of the word ‘aspirant’ and abused his judicial powers.” His actions were deemed a breach of Rule 3.1 of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2016.

In addition to the suspensions, the NJC recommended the compulsory retirement of two senior judicial officers for falsifying their birthdates. Hon. Justice T. E. Chukwuemeka Chikeka, Chief Judge of Imo State, had provided conflicting birth dates in official documents. The Council stated, “The recommendation was pursuant to the findings of the Council that His Lordship has two different dates of birth; 27 October 1956 and 27 October 1958,” adding that Justice Chikeka had sworn an affidavit in 2006 to change his birthdate. He was advised to refund salaries received since 2021.

Similarly, Hon. Kadi Babagana Mahdi, Grand Kadi of Yobe State, was found to have three different birthdates recorded. The NJC said, “The Council finds that Hon. Kadi Mahdi has 3 different dates of birth (10 December, 28 January and July) all in 1959, while his actual date of birth was 1952,” and recommended his retirement. Mahdi is required to refund all salaries and allowances received over the past 12 years.

The Council also issued a cautionary letter to Hon. Justice I. A. Jamil of Kogi State, urging him to be more careful when handling sensitive matters in the future.

Additionally, the NJC reviewed 30 petitions and set up six committees for further investigation. While 22 petitions were dismissed for lack of merit, two were referred to the courts due to ongoing cases. The Council also created a committee to investigate complaints against Hon. Justice O. A. Ojo, Chief Judge of Osun State.

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