The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the compulsory retirement of 10 judges of the Imo State Judiciary over various offences.
Nine of the judges recommended for sack were found guilty of age falsification, while the 10th judge, Justice T. N. Nzeukwu, was recommended to be relieved of his appointment for breaching constitutional provisions on hierarchy of judges.
The decision to sack the judges were taken at the end of the NJC’s 109th meeting held on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, and presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
The nine judges found to have falsified their records, comprising five High Court Judges and four Judges of the Customary Court of Appeal, Imo State, are Justice M. E. Nwagboso (High Court), Justice B. C. Iheka (High Court), Justice K. A. Leaweanya (High Court), Justice Okereke Chinyere Ngozi (High Court), and Justice Innocent Chidi Ibeawuchi (High Court).
Others include Justice Tennyson Nze (Customary Court of Appeal), Justice Ofoha Uchenna (Customary Court of Appeal), Justice Everyman Eleanya (Customary Court of Appeal), and Justice Rosemond Ibe (Customary Court of Appeal)
The NJC, in a statement on Friday, June 27, said Justice Nzeukwu was sanctioned for making himself available to be sworn into office as acting Chief Judge of Imo State.
The council stated that the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Imo State, Justice V. U. Okorie, who chaired the commission that nominated Nzeukwu as acting Chief Judge was however absolved, having dissented on record against the recommendation to appoint Nzeukwu as acting Chief Judge.
The NJC also recommended two judges for appointment as Heads of Court for Ekiti and Yobe States.
The Heads of Court are Justice Adekanye Lekan Ogunmoye, Chief Judge, Ekiti State; and Kadi Abba Mammadi as Grand Kadi, Yobe State.
The council also recommended Mainasara Ibrahim Umar to President Bola Tinubu for appointment as the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
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The NJC said the recommendations followed a careful consideration of various public complaints made against shortlisted candidates for the various positions and a rigorous interview by an eight-member interview committee of the council.
The remaining 18 candidates who were recommended for appointment as judges for different Jurisdictions are Edu, Glory Basseyii and Irem, Melody Bassey as Judges of Cross River State High Court; Ojikutu, Adebayo Julius; Adewole, Adejumoke Oluwatoyini; and Adebo, Oluyemisi Olukemi as Judges of Ogun State High Court.
For Zamfara State High Court those recommended as judges are Garba, Sirajo Aliyu; Bashir Rabi; and Abdullahi Nasiru.
Three Kadis were recommended for appointment to the bench of the Sharia Court of Appeal, Zamfara State and they are Ibrahim, Jibril; Muhammed, Sanusi Magami; and Shaa’ban Mansur.
While Badamasi, Kabir Adam was recommended for appointment as Kadi, Sharia Court of Appeal, Plateau State, Ogodo Lynda Nneka was recommended as Judge, Customary Court of Appeal, Ebonyi State.
In Katsina State, Dikko, Fadila Muhammad; Abdulrahman, Shamsudden Yamayi; Abdullahi, Maryham Umaru; and Mohammed, Abubakar Dikko were recommended for appointment as High Court Judges.
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The NJC further disclosed that it has barred a Judge of the National Industrial Court, Justice Isaac Essien, from being considered for promotion to a higher court for three years due to misconduct.
The council said it discovered that Justice Essien wrongly ordered the confiscation of over N1 billion belonging to the Nasarawa State Government and its Local Government Councils, despite being aware that there was a pending appeal and a pending application for stay of execution.
The NJC noted that Essien also refused to step aside from the case after the Nasarawa State Government raised concerns about possible bias.
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