News
BREAKING: NJC sacks 10 Imo State judges including CJ!
In an unprecedented sweeping move, the National Judicial Council, dealt a heavy hammer-blow on the judicial system in Imo State, sacking 10 judges in a row, with Justice Theophilus Nnamdi Nzeukwu, the embattled Chief Justice (CJ) of the state, finally asked to go.
The council sustained its earlier decision that Nzeukwu should be axed for presenting himself to be sworn in as the CJ of the state, knowing that he was not the most senior judge in the state, as prescribed by law, but in fact, the fourth in ranking.
The nine other judges, were equally axed for falsifying their dates of birth in their official records in order to stretch their times on the bench, a development, which the council found reprehensible and unacceptable in the judicial system.
Kemi Babalola Ogedengbe, spokesman of the agency, who conveyed the decision of the council in a statement, said the age falsifications, were carried out by the nine judges in order to confer on themselves the undue advantage of staying longer in service while the other Judicial Officer.
Stating that the removal of the CJ, was consistent with Section 271 of the constitution, the statement, quoted the body for the appointment, promotion and discipline of judges, headed by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Chief Justice of the Federation, as ordering Hope Uzodimma, Governor of the state to appoint the most senior judge among the remaining to take over as CJ.
The statement named the nine judges, comprising of five from the High Court Judges and four from the Customary Court of Appeal, Imo State to include: M. E. Nwagboso, B. C. Theka, K. A. Leaweanya, Okereke Chinyere Ngozi and Innocent Chidi Ibeawuchi, all of the High Court.
The four others were Tennyson Nze, Ofoha Uchenna, Everyman Eleanya, and Rosemond Ibe from the Customary Court of Appeal, the statement, the statement said, adding that Justice V. U. Okorie who chaired the Commission that nominated as acting Chief Judge was however absolved, having dissented on record against the recommendation to appoint him to the position.
The statement, said: “Council took the decision after consideration of the reports of its Investigation Committee on allegations of age falsification against eighteen (18) Judges of the Imo state judiciary on the one hand and the queries issued to Hon. Justices V. U. Okorie and T. N. Nzeukwu. The Council however dismissed, for want of merit, similar allegations against three Judges of the State High Court whose dates of birth were found to bear no discrepancy.
“Six High Court Judges of the State, whose dates of birth either had discrepancies but with acceptable explanations or with discrepancies arising from genuine correction of their dates of birth to their disadvantage, were also exonerated.
The Judges whose dates of birth were found to bear no discrepancy, were named as I O. Agugua, C. A. Ononeze-Madu, L. C. Azuama all of the High Court, while the two others given a clean bill of health owing to provision of acceptable explanation for discrepancies in their dates of birth, included Vincent I. Onyeka and Vivian O. B. Ekezie, also of the High Court.
The statement, which said that the council directed that Onyeka and Ekezie must maintain the dates of birth supplied by the Council of Legal Education in their official records, named the four other absolved on account that they genuinely corrected their dates of birth to their disadvantage as P. U. Nodum, Alma Ngozi Eluwa, Matthew Chinedu Ijezie and Ononogbo Chidi Linus , all of the High Court.
The statement, continued: “Council, in further deliberation, barred a judge of the National Industrial Court, Hon. Justice Isaac J. Essien, from being considered for promotion to a Higher Court for three years due to misconduct. Council found that Hon. Justice Essien wrongly ordered the confiscation of over N1 billion belonging to the Nasarawa State Government and its Local Government Councils, despite being aware that there was a pending appeal and a pending application for stay of execution.
“Council also noted that he refused to step aside from the case after the Nasarawa State Government raised concerns about possible bias.
“Hon. Justice Essien was a former staff member of the State University, which owed him gratuity, and he had earlier demanded payment using the official letterhead of the Court – a clear breach of Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.
“Council further criticized him for personally visiting the Court of Appeal registry to confirm if an appeal had been filed in the case — an action considered highly inappropriate for a Judge.
“His Lordship was found to have violated several rules in the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers and was reprimanded and barred from elevation to a higher judicial office for a period of (3) three years.
“Council also considered the reports of its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees, which contained a total number of 30 petitions against various Judicial Officers. Four (4) Committees were empanelled for further investigation, four
(4) Judges were cautioned, while 2 petitions were dismissed for lacking in merit.
“Council cautioned Hon. Justice Rahman A. Oshodi, over misuse of judicial discretion in Suit No. ID/232/53C/23.
Hon. Justice Daniel Okungbowa, Chief Judge Edo State was also cautioned over abuse of his judicial discretion in Suit No.
B1/555/2020 and was advised to exercise his discretion judicially and judiciously in future.
“Council issued a final warning to Hon. Justice G. B. Okolosi of the Delta State High Court for continued flouting Section 294 (1) of the 1999 Constitution and Hon. Justice Sa’adatu .I Mark, Federal High Court received caution for delivering judgment after constitutional 90 days.”
Regarding the petition against M. A. Ikpambese, Chief Judge of Benue State, the council threw it out, saying its probe on the report of the investigation Committee in respect of three petitions by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Fidelis Bemsen Mnyim, Guana Benjamin Joseph, and Terhemen Ngbea against Ikpambese, showed he had no case to answer.
Absolving him of any judicial wrongdoing, it noted that all the petitions presented against him were with sole aim to remove him from his position, adding that it was in fact particularly concerned about the role of Mnyim, in the scheme to remove the CJ and resolved to report him to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for necessary action.
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor of Oyo State, on Thursday, finally threw his hats into the ring by declaring his intention to run for president in 2027, with a message – history beckons.
The governor, whose ambition has been a matter of speculations for months now and who had teamed up with forces angling to force President Bola Tinubu, out of power, told a teeming crowd in Ibadan on Thursday that time had come to reset Nigeria.
At a mega-rally to announce the alliance between the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement, (APM), Makinde, expressed worry over the dwindling fortunes of Nigerians, vowing to engage Nigerians to end the drift.
Hear him: “Without a multi-party system, there is no democracy. Where is our multi-party? Where do we go from here? We have been pushed to the wall.
“They calculated and self-opposition cannot unite but I am here to say that the opposition is the everyday Nigerian. This is the time for all us to ensure Nigeria works for us. This is the time to confront it fears. It is time to engage as citizens and not spectators.
“For the opposition political parties, this is the time to unite and work in unity and give our nation the much reset it needs. The time to reset Nigeria is now. Ibadan is the city of warriors. The first grand alliance is formed. The PDP and APM is formed. This handshake will allow us to field candidates from presidency to state Assembly. And so, I declare my candidacy for office of the president of Nigeria.”
Eyo Ekpe, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), on Wednesday, gave a detailed account on how operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) manhandled him on Monday.
He told reporters that he was at sea on why he should fall victim to the assault against his person and eventually arrested given that was not right person directly involved in the information the agency sought.
Some operatives of the EFCC who invaded the hospital, had whisked Ekpe away after firing teargas to scare away the workers, patients and visitors to the hospital, following what appeared like a fracas the ensued over what it claimed was a routine duty in the facility.
Ekpe, Deputy Chairman of the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), described how an operative had first entered his office to make inquiries on why the hospital was yet to give a response to an EFCC inquiry over a medical report linked to a suspect facing trial.
He detailed how he briefed the operative that the said response was being prepared and even went ahead to show him the draft of a letter in that regard, which needed to go through the gamut of official endorsement before being released.
Hear him: “The head of that internal medicine department looked at the report and also discovered that the name of the doctor that signed the report is not a member of staff of that department.
“I had prepared prepared a response to the EFCC on Monday, May 11, 2026, based on the findings. When the EFCC operative visited my office the next morning to collect the document, I told him that the response was ready in draft. I even showed him the draft, but told him that the document still needed approval from the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital before it could be officially signed and released.
“He pretended to have accepted that. He left, but later later returned with another armed operative and informed me that I was under arrest. I asked him why. I was not the one that issued the medical report. My name is not on the medical report. The report was not issued from my unit.
“But he said I would get the answer when I get to their office. I then asked him to at least wait for my staff member who I sent on an errand before joining them. But they refused.
“They started pushing me. They dragged me out of the office. Then I began to cry while they were dragging me. They had warned me not to speak. They had taken my phone. My cry as they were dragging me, attracted the workers to the scene, who enquired what was going on, but because they ordered me not to speak, I couldn’t say anything. They had their guns.
The members of staff of the hospital initially blocked them from taking me away. They then made a call. After that I saw many masked and armed men came violently, broke the protector, threatening the people that were around and people ran away.
“They picked some staff that were still by me. they dragged me and other staff, five of us into their van downstairs. By that time they discovered that the gate of the hospital were locked. So, they drove towards the gate and packed and the commotion continued. We were inside the van.
“I was so emotionally and psychologically traumatised that I couldn’t even look out of the vehicle to see what was happening outside. But I know that teargas and live bullets were shot. That’s all I can say for now.”
Joyce Abdulmalik, of the Federal High Court, Abuja, heard on Wednesday, how Zenith Bank raised alarm over the huge transaction in one of its branches by Abubakar Malami, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF-MoJ).
The bank said it immediately filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) in respect to the transactions, during its appearance in the ongoing trial of Malami, his wife, and son over allegation of massive looting of funds belonging to the Federal Government during his tenure.
Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with the bank, who appeared as witness in the case, where Malami, et al, are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering to the tune of N8.7 billion, to which they pleaded not guilty, gave the testimony while being questioned on the bank’s roles in the matter.
Details of the testimony conveyed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated how the compliance officer who was cross-examined by Adebayo Adedeji, lawyer to the defendants admitted that the deposits in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Arguments had stretched when Adedeji, opposed Jibrin Okutepa (SAN), lawyer to the EFCC, who had asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report, stressing that there was no ambiguity in the term.
However, Okutepa, in response, maintained that section 215(3) of the Evidence Act did not preclude him from re-examining the witness while urging the court to allow the question for proper explanation.
After Abdulmalik, agreed and overruled Adedeji, the witness told the court that banks were required to alert the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) about fund deposits coming in a repetitive pattern, adding: “Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU.”
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