NJC Suspends Three Judges for One Year Without Pay, Recommends Appointment of 28 Others

By Vivian Okejeme

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended three judges for one year without pay over various acts of judicial misconduct, while recommending 28 candidates for appointment as judicial officers.

Those suspended include Justice Hannatu Mohammed Kabir of the Nasarawa State High Court. The Council approved her suspension for one year without pay and barred her from being considered for elevation for three years over the unlawful detention of a litigant for 58 days without proper contempt proceedings.

The Investigation Committee found that she ordered the arrest and detention of the litigant for allegedly disobeying court orders without issuing and serving the mandatory Forms 48 and 49 or instituting proper contempt proceedings.

The NJC held that the alleged contempt occurred outside the court’s presence and could not lawfully be tried and punished summarily. The Committee also found that the action violated the litigant’s right to a fair hearing.

Another affected judicial officer is Grand Kadi Mohammed Sani Salihu of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal. The Council approved his suspension for one year without pay over his involvement in reopening a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court.

The Committee found that the Grand Kadi exceeded his authority by constituting a committee to review the judgment and subsequently assigning the matter to a Higher Sharia Court judge, who received fresh evidence and delivered another judgment.

The Committee held that the process amounted to an appeal against a valid judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, which was subsequently set aside by the Jigawa State High Court.

It also found that the action constituted a violation of Rule 3.3.1 of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, 2016.

Meanwhile, the Council directed that the most senior Kadi of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal should perform the functions of the office of the Grand Kadi throughout the period of the suspension.

The third judge is Justice Sobere Biambo of the Rivers State High Court. The NJC approved his suspension for one year without pay and imposed a three-year restriction on his elevation over the issuance of bench warrants and the imposition of fines on litigants in a civil dispute without following due process.

The Committee found that he ordered the arrest of the petitioners for allegedly disobeying an interim injunction and subsequently imposed fines of N300,000 on each of them without instituting contempt proceedings or serving Forms 48 and 49.

It held that the alleged contempt occurred outside the court’s presence and should not have been tried and punished summarily.

In another development, Justice Kayode Agunloye of the FCT High Court was cautioned over his handling of post-judgment garnishee proceedings in a suit involving First Bank of Nigeria Plc.

The Committee found that he improperly entertained and granted a fresh ex parte application for a Garnishee Order Nisi on October 22, 2025.

At its 112th meeting, held on November 3, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, the NJC recommended the appointment of a Grand Kadi for Plateau State and 27 other candidates as judicial officers.

Of the 28 candidates recommended, 24 were nominated for appointment as judges of the High Courts of Kano, Ebonyi, Edo, Adamawa and Ogun states.

One candidate was recommended for appointment as Grand Kadi of the Plateau State Sharia Court of Appeal, while another was recommended for appointment as Kadi of the Adamawa State Sharia Court of Appeal.

Two other candidates were recommended for appointment as judges of the Adamawa State Customary Court of Appeal.

All the recommended candidates are expected to be sworn in by their respective state governors without delay.

Meanwhile, the NJC also directed the Imo State Judicial Service Commission to include the name of the most senior judge of the state’s High Court, the Acting Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Ijeoma Agugua, on the list of candidates for appointment as the substantive Chief Judge of the state.

The decision followed the consideration of a petition dated June 11, 2026, submitted by Mr Bob Kay Njemanze, who challenged the exclusion of Justice Agugua from the shortlist forwarded by the Imo State Judicial Service Commission.

In considering the petition, the Council noted that although the State Judicial Service Commission has the constitutional responsibility to advise the NJC on suitable candidates for appointment as Chief Judge, the Council retains the authority to determine the suitability of the persons presented to it.

Consequently, it directed its Secretariat to formally request the Imo State Judicial Service Commission to include the name of Hon. Justice I. O. Agugua on the shortlist.

The NJC also approved the issuance of cautions and warnings to six judicial officers, including their placement on its Watch List.

One of the affected judicial officers is Justice Bello Kawu of the FCT High Court.

The Council found merit in a petition against Justice Kawu over his decision to grant interim bail to the former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, despite a subsisting remand order issued by another judge of the same court.

The Investigation Committee found that Justice Kawu was aware of the earlier order, which was due to expire at midnight on December 24, 2025, but granted interim bail on December 23, 2025, in conflict with the subsisting order.

The Council consequently directed that a warning letter be issued to him and that he be placed on its Watch List.