Nigeria’s highest judicial authority, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has banned Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court and Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi of the Delta State High Court from promotion for abuse of ex parte motion and failure to deliver judgment within a stipulated time.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The justices were warned of future conduct alongside Justice Amina Shehu of the Yobe State High Court for issuing Writ of Possession Conferring Title on a defendant.
A statement issued by the council’s Director of Information, Soji Oye, dated May 16, and made available to journalists on Friday, said the justices were found guilty of different degrees of misconduct, during the 105th plenary meeting of the council, which was held between May 15 and 16, under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
The statement noted that Ekwo was barred from elevation to a higher Bench for two years while Brikins-Okolosi was barred for three years.
Ekwo, the statement said, was “warned for abuse of discretionary power of a judge by wrongly granting an ex parte order in suit no. FHC/ABJ/C/626/2023 Juliet Ebere Nwadi Gbaka & 2 Ors V Seplat Energy Plc & 12 Ors,
“The Hon. Judge is also barred from being elevated to a higher Bench for two years.
“Hon. Justice G. B. Brikins-Okolosi of Delta State High Court is also issued a warning for failure to deliver judgment within the stipulated period in Joseph Anene Okafor Vs Skye Bank, suit no. A/94/2010 after parties had filed and adopted their final Written Addresses.”
Brikins-Okolosi “will also not be elevated to a higher Bench for a period of three years,” the statement stated
Regarding Shehu, the NJCl cautioned him “for issuing Writ of Possession Conferring Title on the Defendant in suit no. YBS/HC/NNR/1cv/2020 when there was no subsisting judgment of any court to enable His Lordship issue the Writ.”
Also, the NJC also recommended two reports written against judges of the Federal and State High Courts to a panel for further investigation.
The statement said, “Council at the meeting considered two Reports of its two Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees that filtered 35 petitions written against Judges of the Federal and State High Courts and decided to empanel eight Committees to further investigate the petitions that were found meritorious by the Committees.”
Over five petitions written against some judges were dismissed “for lack of merit, evidence of misconduct, subjudice or that they were matters that could be appealed,” the statement said.
The petitions were written against Justices A. M. Liman, A. A. Okeke, D. E. Osiagor (Federal High Court); Justices S. B. Belgore, and Bello Kawu (High Court of the Federal Capital Territory), among others.
“The Council deliberated on the notification of retirements of three Judicial Officers including that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Hon Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON and notification of death of three Judges of the Federal and State Courts,” the statement added.