The National Judicial Council (NJC) has proposed the appointment of 86 Justices and Judges to the Court of Appeal, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Sharia Courts of Appeal, and Customary Courts of Appeal in various states around the country.
The NJC made the decision at its 105th meeting, held on May 15 and 16, after reviewing the report of its Interview Committee on Appointment of Judicial Officers of All Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria.
According to a statement issued on Friday, May 17, by NJC’s Director (Information), Soji Oye, the council recommended the appointment of 22 Justices for the Court of Appeal.
They include Justice Nyesom-Wike Eberechi Suzzette of the Rivers State High Court, who is the wife of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Justice Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba of the Federal High Court; Justice Olukayode Adegbola Adeniyi of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory;
Justice Okorowo Donatus Uwaezuoke of the Federal High Court, and Justice Lateef Babajide Lawal-Akapo of the Lagos State High Court.
Others are Justice Kwahar Polycarp Terna; Justice Ruqayat Oremei Ayoola; Justice Eleojo Eneche; Justice Asma’u Akanbi-Yusuf; Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman; Justice Abdu Dogo; Justice Fadawu Umaru, and Justice Ishaq Mohammed Sani.
Also on the list are Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar; Justice Abdulazeez M. Anka; Justice Nwoye Victoria Tochukwu; Justice Nwabunkeonye Onwosi; Justice Ngozika Uwazurunonye Okaisabor, and Justice Ntong Festus Ntong.
Equally elevated to the Court of Appeal are Justice Nehizena Idemudia Afolabi; Justice Akinyemi Abiodun Azeem, and Justice Oyewumi Oyejoju Oyebiola.
The NJC recommended the appointment of 12 judges for the High Court of the FCT; seven for Imo State High Court; six for Bauchi State High Court; three for Taraba State High Court; 13 for Lagos State High Court, and four for Kogi State High Court.
It equally recommended the appointment of two judges for Jigawa State High Court; five kadis for the Bauchi Sharia Court of Appeal; five kadis for Kogi State Sharia Court of Appeal; one kadi for the Jigawa State Court of Appeal, and three judges for the Imo State Customary Court of Appeal.
The NJC also recommended the appointment of two judges for the Taraba State Customary Court of Appeal and one for Kogi State Customary Court of Appeal.
Oye said the affected judicial officers will be sworn in after the approval of the NJC recommendations by the President and the relevant state Governors.
He said the NJC also resolved to issue warning letters to three judges and barred them from being elevated to a higher Bench for a certain period over alleged misconduct.
Justice Inyang E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court was issued a warning and barred from elevation for two years.
Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi of the Delta State High Court was also issued a warning and barred from elevation for three years.
Justice Amina Shehu of the Yobe State High Court was cautioned.
According to Oye, Justice Ekwo “is warned for abuse of discretionary power of a judge by wrongly granting an ex parte order in Suit No FHC/ABJ/C/626/2023 Juliet Ebere Nwadi Gbaka & 2 Ors V Seplat Energy Plc & 12 Ors.”
He said Justice Brikins-Okolosi “is also issued a warning for failure to deliver judgment within the stipulated period in Joseph Anene Okafor Vs Skye Bank, Suit No A/94/2010 after parties had filed and adopted their final written addresses.
Oye added: “Council (NJC) cautioned Hon. Justice Amina Shehu of Yobe State High Court for issuing writ of possession conferring title on the defendant in suit No YBS/HC/NNR/1cv/2020 when there was no subsisting judgment of any court to enable His Lordship issue the writ.”
The NJC spokesman further said: “Council at the meeting considered two reports of its two Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees that filtered 35 petitions written against judges of the Federal and State High Courts and decided to empanel eight Committees to further investigate the petitions that were found meritorious by the committees.
“Petition against various judges were dismissed for lack of merit, evidence of misconduct, subjudice or that they were matters that could be appealed.”
According to Oye, the dismissed petitions were against Justices A. M. Liman, A. A. Okeke, and D. E. Osiagor of the Federal High Court; Justices S. B. Belgore and Bello Kawu of the High Court of FCT; Justices O. A. Chijioke, A. E. Akeredolu and Kadi M. U. El-Mainari, who sat on Election Petition Tribunal in Edo State.
Justice Okey Paulinus Aneke of the High Court of Enugu State; Justice C. Anya of Abia State High Court; Justices M. A. Ikpambese and W. I. Kpochi of Benue State High Court; Justices T. E. Chukwuemeka Chikeka (Chief Judge) and B. C. Iheka of Imo State High Court; Justice Rose Godwin Soji of Nasarawa State High Court and Justice T. J. Yakubu, High Court Taraba State also had petitions written against them dismissed.
The NJC equally dismissed petitions against Justices W. N. Danagogo and Chinwendu Nworgu, High Court Rivers State, Justice C. C. Okaa of the High Court of Anambra State, and Justice Abdullahi Sulyman of the High Court of Kogi State.
According to him, the NJC deliberated on the notification of the retirements of three judicial officers, including that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Hon Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, and the notification of the death of three judges of the federal and state courts.
Here is the full list of the recommendations:
JUSTICES, COURT OF APPEAL – 22
1. Hon. Justice Kwahar Polycarp Terna
2. Hon. Justice Ruqayat Oremei Ayoola
3. Hon. Justice Eleojo Eneche
4. Hon. Justice Asma’u Akanbi-Yusuf
5. Hon. Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman
6. Hon. Justice Abdu Dogo
7. Hon. Justice Fadawu Umaru
8. Hon. Justice Ishaq Mohammed Sani
9. Hon. Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar
10. Hon. Justice Abdulazeez M. Anka
11. Hon. Justice Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba
12. Hon. Justice Nwoye Victoria Tochukwu
13. Hon. Justice Nwabunkeonye Onwosi
14. Hon. Justice Okorowo Donatus Uwaezuoke
15. Hon. Justice Ngozika Uwazurunonye Okaisabor
16. Hon. Justice Ntong Festus Ntong
17. Hon. Justice Nehizena Idemudia Afolabi
18. Hon. Justice Nyesom-Wike Eberechi Suzzette
19. Hon. Justice Lateef Babajide Lawal-Akapo
20. Hon. Justice Akinyemi Abiodun Azeem
21. Hon. Justice Oyewumi Oyejoju Oyebiola
22. Hon. Justice Olukayode Adegbola Adeniyi
JUDGES, HIGH COURT, FCT ABUJA – 12
1. Ademuyiwa Olakunle Oyeyipo
2. Bamodu Odunayo Olutomi
3. Anumaenwe Godwin Iheabunike
4. Odo Celestine Obinna
5. Hauwa Lawal Gummi
6. Abdurahman Usman
7. Buetnaan Mandy Bassi
8. Sarah Benjamin Inesu Avoh
9. Maryan Iye Yusuf
10. Ariwoola Oluwakemi Victoria
11. Lesley Nkesi Belema Wike
12. Munirat Ibrahim Tanko
JUDGES, IMO STATE HIGH COURT – 7
Akowundu Cletus Ndubuisi
Uchenna Mary Njoku
Chibuogwu Ojiugo Chukwumaeze
Ononogbo Chidi Linus
Adaego Peace Nosiri
Emeka Ozoma Orafu
Mathew Chinedu Ijezie
JUDGES, BAUCH STATE HIGH COURT – 6
1. Amin Umar Ilelah
2. Aliyu Bin Idris
3. Ahmed Shuaibu Ningi
4. Shafa’u Ladan Yusuf
5. Abdussalam Idris Waziri
6. Kawu A. Yerima
JUDGES, TARABA STATE HIGH COURT – 3
1. Hamidu Audu
2. Bibonga Jeniffer Nauma
3. Joel Daniel Ubandoma
JUDGES, LAGOS STATE HIGH COURT – 13
1. Sunmonu Tunde Bashiru
2. Azeez Fimisola Augusta
3. Alebiosu Olawale Lawal
4. Adewale Russel Musiliu
5. Popoola Oluwatosin Ajose
6. Anjorin-Ajose Tanimola Abdulwaheed
7. Muyideen Abdul-Raheem Tejumade
8. George Alfred Akingbola
9. Balogun Adegboyega Ganiu
10. Shonubi Adenike Kudirat
11. Badejo-Okusanya Yewande Jokotola
12. Layinka Oyeladun Amope
13. Ojuromi Nalirat Olayinka Oluwatosin
JUDGES, KOGI STATE HIGH COURT – 4
1. Ajesola Joseph Sunday
2. Ojoma Rachael Haruna
3. Kadiri Badama
4. Ezema Beatrice Ada
JUDGES, JIGAWA STATE HIGH COURT – 2
1. Mohammad El-Usman
2. Nilfa Abdullahi Gambo
KADIS, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, BAUCHI STATE – 5
1. Ishaku Magaji
2. Abdurrahman Hassan Sabo
3. Bello Mohammed Sambowal
4. Muhyiddeen Mohammed
5. Mahmoud Idris Shehu Tiyin
KADIS, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, KOGI STATE – 5
1. Muhammad Muhammad Bello
2. Okino Isah Saidu
3. Yakubu Adavenge Abbas
4. Shaibu Ridwan Aliyu
5. Idris Alhaji Abdullahi
KADI, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, JIGAWA STATE – 1
1. Mukhtar Shuaibu Adam
JUDGES, IMO STATE CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL – 3
1. Everyman Ezenna Eleanya
2. Ofoha Sylvesta Uchenna
3. Ibeh Rosemond Oluchi
JUDGES, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, TARABA STATE – 2
1. Esther Tata
2. Benjamin Samuila Bawage
JUDGE, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, KOGI STATE – 1
1. Maryann Oziohu Otaru.b