NJC suspends two judges for misconduct

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended two judges from office for misconduct, with immediate effect.

The judges are Justice Chukwuma Francis Abosi, Acting President of the Customary Court of Appeal and Justice Liman Musa Aliyu of the Bauchi State High Court.

According to a statement signed Friday by the spokesperson of the NJC, Soji Oye Esq., the decision to suspend the judges was reached at the NJC’s 91st Meeting held online on 22nd and 23rd April 2020.

While Justice Abosi falsified his age to extend his retirement, Justice Liman was said to have withheld judgement in a case for almost 4 years.

The NJC ruled that both erring judges be suspended from office immediately, “pending the approval of the recommendation of the Council for their compulsory retirement to their respective state Governors.”

For altering his date of birth from 1950 to 1958, the NJC requested that all salaries received by Justice Abosi from November 2015 (his original retirement date), be deducted from his retirement benefit.

On his part, Justice Liman’s failure to deliver judgement within the 3 months period stipulated by law, was faulted as a contravention of Rules 1.3 and 3.7 of the 2016 Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers and Section 292 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended. 

Three other judges, O.A. Musa of the High Court of the FCT; Muhammed A. Sambo and Sa’ad Ibrahim Zadawa of the Bauchi State High Court, were cleared of any wrongdoings.

Petitions against the trio were dismissed by the NJC for “either lacking in merit or being subjudiced.”