National Judicial Council recalls six suspended Justices, orders their immediate resumption on June 7th

The National Judicial Council has recalled six suspended judges and has ordered them to resume work on Wednesday June 7th. In
a statement released by its Director of Information, Soji Oye, the NJC listed the names of the recalled suspended judges
Hon. Justice John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Uwani Abba Aji of the Court of Appeal; Hon. Justice Hydiazira A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High
Court; Hon. Justice A. F. A. Ademola of the Federal High Court who has been discharged and acquitted; Hon. Justice Musa H. Kurya of the Federal High Court; and
Hon. Justice Agbadu James Fishim of National Industrial Court of Nigeria. The judges were suspended after some of them
were accused of corrupt practices by the DSS. Read the statement from the council
after the cut…

The National Judicial Council, under the Chairmanship of Hon. Justice Walter. S. N.
Onnoghen, GCON, at its 82nd Meeting which was held on 31st May and 1st June, 2017, considered the case of eight Judicial Officers who were directed to recuse themselves from duties on the request of the Attorney-General of the Federation
pending the outcome of investigations against them. To maintain the integrity and
sanctity of the Judiciary and sustain public confidence, the Judicial Officers were
directed to recuse themselves from office with effect from 2nd November, 2016.

2. After deliberation, Council noted that out of the Judicial Officers directed to recuse themselves from performing their official duties, only three have been
charged to Court.
They are:-
• Hon. Justice N. S. Ngwuta, CFR, of the Supreme Court of Nigeria;
• Hon. Justice A. F. A. Ademola of the Federal High Court; and
• Hon. Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court.

The trial of Hon. Justice A. F. A. Ademola has been concluded and he has been discharged and acquitted of the charges filed against him.

In view of the foregoing, Council decided that the various Heads of Court should direct the following Judicial Officers to resume their judicial duties with effect
from Wednesday 7th June, 2017, as there are already backlog of cases in their various Court for the past eight months:

1. Hon. Justice John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court;
2. Hon. Justice Uwani Abba Aji of the Court of Appeal;
3. Hon. Justice Hydiazira A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court;
4. Hon. Justice A. F. A. Ademola of the Federal High Court who has been discharged and acquitted;
5. Hon. Justice Musa H. Kurya of the Federal High Court; and
6. Hon. Justice Agbadu James Fishim of National Industrial Court of Nigeria.

3.Council also at the Meeting, decided to warn Hon. Justice M. N. Esowe of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli of the High Court
of Justice, Rivers State and Hon. Justice Bassey Frank Etuk of the Akwa-Ibom State High Court for different offences and place
two of them on the “Watch List” of the Council.

4.Council’s decision to give Hon. Justice Esowe a serious warning and put her on its
“Watch List” for one year, was sequel to a petition written against her by Mr. Jimmy
Dirisu Aliu, alleging injustice for failing to deliver ruling in Suit No. NICN/ABJ/394/2013, until Eight (8) months after the final address of counsel on Notice of Preliminary objection to his Suit.

5. Council also decided to give Hon. Justice Adolphus Enebeli serious warning and
place him on its “Watch-List” for three years following its ‘findings’ that Hon.

Justice Enebeli violated the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by granting ex-parte order in
Suit No. PHC/983/2016, preventing the swearing-in of Victoria Wodo Nyeche as a
member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, when the claim in the Suit did not border on qualification or pre-election
matter. The Hon. Judge was said to have granted the ex-parte order on 19th April, 2016, three days to the swearing-in ceremony and adjourned the case to 21st
April, 2016 when the ceremony had been concluded.
6. Hon. Justice Bassey Frank Etuk was warned following a petition written against him by Oro Youth Movement for failure to
deliver judgment in Suit No. HOR/
FHC/97/2014, a Fundamental Human Right case, after hearing it to conclusion and adjourned same for judgment to the 8th June, 2015. The Hon. Judge then proceeded on National assignment as an Election
Petition Tribunal member and did not deliver the judgment even after his return in November, 2015, when he transferred
the case file to the Chief Judge for it to start de-novo.

The Suit was filed by two officers of the Movement to prevent the police from arresting them after they were reported for
embezzling the sum of N20, 000.000.00 (Twenty Million Naira) from the account of the movement.