WITH the discharge and acquital of all criminal allegations against Justice Ademola Adeniyi of the Federal High Court in Abuja by the Federal Government, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has directed that he should resume his judicial duties with effect from Wednesday 7th June, 2017 to go ahead with the backlog of cases in his court for the past eight months:A statement by the Director, Information of the Council, Soji Oye said the NJC arrived at the decision at the end of its 82nd meeting held on May 31 and 1st June, 2017, which considered the case of the eight Judicial Officers who were directed to recuse themselves from duties on the request of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) pending the outcome of investigations against them.
The statement noted that, after deliberation, NJC noted that out of the Judicial Officers directed to recuse themselves from performing their official duties with effect from 2nd November, 2016, only Justice Ademola’s trial has been concluded and discharged and acquitted of the charges filed against him.
The affected Judicial Officers were asked to resuse themselves from sitting to maintain the integrity and sanctity of the Judiciary and sustain public confidence.
Other Judicial Officers, apart from Jistice Ademola are Justices Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court.
The Council, headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen decided that the various Heads of Court should direct Justices John Inyang Okoro of the Supreme Court, Uwani Abba Aji of the Court of Appeal, Hydiazira A Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court, Ademola of the Federal High Court who has been discharged and acquitted, Musa H Kurya of the Federal High Court; and Agbadu James Fishim of National Industrial Court of Nigeria 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.
Oye also said in the statement that the NJC warned Justice M. N. Esowe of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Justice Adolphus Enebeli of the High Court of Justice, Rivers State and 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.
The statement said, “Council’s decision to give 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 months after the final address of counsel on Notice of Preliminary objection to his Suit.
“Council also decided to give Justice Adolphus Enebeli serious warning and place him on its “Watch-List” for three years following its ‘findings’ that he 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.”
According to the NJC, the 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.
That, 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 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 said to be filed by two officers of the Movement to prevent the police from arresting them after they were reported for embezzling the sum of N20 million from the account of the movement.
The statement said the decision of the NJC is with immediate effect and added that the Council also considered and dismissed petitions written against twelve other Judicial Officers and dismissed the petitions because three of the Petitioners withdrew their petitions against Justice T. U. Uzokwe, Chief Judge, Abia State, Justice Okoroafor of the Abia State High Court and Justice Judge Okeke of the FCT High Court of Justice.
The NJC also dismissed one petition written against H. A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court for sub judice and other petitions written against Justices Adamu Abdu-Kafarati and O. E. Abang, both of the Federal High Court, Justices Mobolaji Ojo, and E. O. Osinuga, both of the Ogun State High Court, Justice B. A. Oke-Lawal of Lagos State High Court, Justice A. A. Aderemi of Oyo State, Ntong F Ntong of Akwa-Ibom State High Court and the second petition written against Justice Bassey Frank Etuk of Akwa-Ibom State High Court of Justice were found unmeritorious.
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