The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the appointment of 12 new justices for the Court of Appeal and suspended two judges for one year over judicial misconduct.
The verdicts were decided at the council’s 111th meeting on May 13, which was presided over by Nigeria’s Chief Justice, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
In a statement issued on Thursday by its deputy director of information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, the NJC stated that the appointments were aimed “to fill vacancies arising from the elevation and retirement of judicial officers across various levels of the judiciary and to strengthen the capacity of courts for effective justice delivery.”
The council recommended Yakubu Abdulhammeed Mohammed, Monisola Oluwatoyin Abodunde, Raphael Ajuwa, Elias Ojie Abua, Mbalamen Jennifer Ijohor, Sabiu Bala Shuaibu, James Kolawole Omotosho, Emeka Nwite, Dauda Njane Buba, Sanusi Kado, Enikuomehin Ademola, and Julcit Veronica Dadom as new Justices of the Court of Appeal.
It also recommended Christine T. Clement Ende as judge of the Benue State High Court, alongside Ibrahim Abdullahi Yakubu and Bala Salisu Daura as kadis of the Katsina State Sharia Court of Appeal.
The NJC stated that the consideration of Yakubu and Daura was first stood down following a petition disputing their eligibility due to their retirement from public service, but the council eventually decided that “the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), does not prohibit retired public servants from judicial appointment.”
The NJC added that its position was guided by the Court of Appeal decision in Ayoola v. Baruwa (1999), which held that “no constitutional provision precludes a retired legal practitioner from appointment to the Bench.”
According to a recently approved regulation, former public servants seeking judicial appointments must have “a minimum of ten years remaining in service before attaining the mandatory judicial retirement age.”
The council also prolonged Ijeoma O. Agugua’s appointment as Imo State’s Acting Chief Judge for another three months in order to complete the process of appointing a substantive chief judge.
The NJC praised Ononeze-Madu for refusing to be sworn in, citing institutional integrity and respect for the rule of law.
The NJC rejected appeals from eight Imo judges who were forced to retire due to age falsification, stating that they did not provide sufficient evidence to justify a reversal of their sanctions.
The NJC also punished Ibrahim D. Shekarau for a year without pay for what it called “judicial misconduct involving the grant of an ex parte order.”
According to the statement, the committee determined that the judge “acted in bad faith, failed to observe due process, and demonstrated a lack of professional competence.”
In the same vein, Edward A. E. Okpe was suspended for one year without pay after the council found that he “granted an ex parte application that led to committal proceedings against the petitioner without affording him the opportunity to be heard.”
The NJC also stated that it dismissed 73 complaints against judicial officers for “lack of merit, lack of diligent prosecution, or being time-barred,” while 11 petitions were recommended for further examination.
The council also praised nine judges for their outstanding performance throughout the 2024 and 2025 legal years and approved the sending of 256 letters to judicial personnel regarding performance issues.
