EXCLUSIVE: NJC’s planned reforms cause panic among judges

…Judicial council sets new rules for dismissal of indicted judges

…About 100 petitions against some judges under consideration

…“Every lawful path will be taken to rid judiciary of the few bad eggs…”

FROM next year, errant judges in the Nigerian judicial system may be more professionally imperiled than before as the National Judicial Council (NJC) inches towards a new firing procedure.

The Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun-led council, according to a reliable source, is close to adopting a reframing of the sanctioning procedure for indicted judicial officers.

In the proposed new rule, instead of suspending indicted judges multiple times, those caught in serial misconducts will now be dismissed outright from the Bench.

The top source who spoke with Sunday Tribune disclosed that unlike before when an errant judge could be suspended twice and still return to duty, a second (depending on the gravity of the offence) or third suspension for misconduct will now attract outright dismissal.

It was learnt that the harsher penalty is contained in a new set of reforms the Kekere-Ekun leadership is prepping for release soon.

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The development is said to be creating excitement in the justice sector as the Chairman of the Council and Chief Justice of Nigeria pushes for greater accountability and transparency.

However, the move is also reportedly creating jitters among judges, especially those with multiple petitions against them before the council.

Sunday Tribune has gathered that close to 100 petitions against judicial officers are currently being considered by the council, with the prologue process being handled by its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee (PCAC).

Three sets of PCAC are also simultaneously running, labelled as A, B and C and each with four members, are statutorily headed by a retired justice of the Supreme Court, though one of them is being currently led by a retired justice of the Court of Appeal, A.B. Yahaya.

The other two sets are headed by Justices Mary Odili and Bode Rhodes-Vivour, both retired and of the apex court.

It was learnt that each of the sets is handling more than 30 petitions, bringing the total close to 100.

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The second layer of the probe will involve trial panels set up by the council once the preliminary investigation establishes prima facie case against the accused judges.

Sunday Tribune gathered that, in recent times, Kekere-Ekun and her team have chosen the path of upward review of punitive measures recommended by trial panels.

“In some cases, a panel, after finding the accused judge guilty, may recommend maybe six months suspension from duty, only for the council to review it up to two years.

“But that era of multiple suspensions is now coming to an end once the council adopts the new sanction rule likely next year because there is no council meeting again this year.

“Those judges who misconduct themselves because they think they can always return to the Bench after suspension may be unpleasantly surprised.

“This CJN means business but not the usual kind of business,” a top source volunteered.

When contacted, council’s spokesperson, Kemi Ogedengbe, would not confirm or deny the development.

She simply said: “Every lawful path will be taken to rid judiciary of the few bad eggs, casting shadow of blanket impropriety on the hardworking judicial officers and administrative staff of the sector. This leadership is poised to change the narrative,” she added.