…Clears Justices Kafarati, Abang of misconduct

… Places two others on watch list

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja.

THE National Judicial Council (NJC) has recalled six judicial officers whose homes were raided by operatives of the Department of State Service (DSS) and were subsequently arrested over alleged acts of corruption in October last year.
Besides, the NJC has also considered and dismissed petitions written against 12 other judicial officers including Justice Abdul Kafarati and Okon Abang, both of the Federal High Court; and Justice Jude Okeke of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), among others, for lacking in merit.
The Council had while acting on the request by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), barred the affected judges from sitting as judicial officers with effect from November 2, 2016 pending the outcome of investigations against them.
The action, according to the Council, was to maintain the integrity and sanctity of the judiciary and sustain public confidence.
But the Council at the end of its 82nd meeting, which was held on May 31 and June 1, 2017, considered the case of the eight judicial officers affected by the action and cleared them.
Those cleared include Justice John Iyang Okoro of the Supreme Court, Justice Uwani Abba Ali of the Court of Appeal, Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Justice Hydiazira A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court, Justice Musa H. Kurya of the Federal High Court and Justice Agbadu James Fishim of National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
The NJC directed the various Heads of Court to ask them to resume their judicial duties with effect from Wednesday, June 7, 2017, saying there were already backlog of cases in their various courts in the past eight months.
A statement by its Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, said after deliberation, “Council noted that out of the judicial officers directed to excuse themselves from performing their official duties, only three, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court; Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court and Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, have been charged to 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.”
Meanwhile, the NJC has issued a warning to three Judges over acts of judicial misconduct. They include Justice M. N. Esowe of the National Industrial Court; Justice Adolphus Enebeli of the High Court of Justice, Rivers State, and Justice Bassey Frank Etuk of the Akwa-Ibom State High Court.
The Council placed Enebeli on its watch list for a period of three years, while it would also watch Esowe for a period of one year.
According to the statement, “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.”
It added: “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 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.”
The Judge was said to have granted the ex-parte order on April 19, 2016, three days to the swearing-in ceremony and adjourned the case to April 21, 2016 when the ceremony had been concluded.
The NJC also warned Justice Bassey Frank Etuk 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 Rights case, after hearing it to conclusion and adjourned same for judgment to June 8, 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 statement noted.