The National Judicial Council (NJC) has established four probe panels to investigate 27 high court judges across the country for alleged judicial misconduct. The Council also issued a cautionary letter to Justice O. M. Olagunju of the Oyo State High Court, advising him to exercise greater caution in his judicial conduct.
This follows reports that Justice Olagunju used inappropriate language in a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, challenging the NJC’s decision on the appointment of the President of the Customary Court of Appeal in Oyo State.
During its 106th meeting, presided over by the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, the NJC reviewed the report from its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee, which considered 22 petitions against 27 judicial officers from Federal and State High Courts. Following the committee’s recommendations, four panels were formed to investigate petitions deemed worthy of further inquiry.
According to a statement by NJC’s Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, the remaining 18 petitions were dismissed due to lack of merit, abandonment, or ongoing litigation. These dismissed cases involved several high-ranking judicial figures, including Justices Monica B. Dongban-Mensem, President of the Court of Appeal, and Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, among others.
Additionally, the NJC placed five judges on a pre-sanction Watch List for poor performance, warning that they may face sanctions if no improvement is observed.
As this was Justice Ariwoola’s final meeting before retirement, he expressed gratitude for the support he received from Council members and the Secretariat, urging them to extend the same to his successor. Council members, in turn, praised the outgoing Chief Justice and wished him well in his retirement.
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