The National Judicial Council, NJC, has constituted four panels to investigate 27 High Court Judges the were accused of engaging in sundry judicial misconducts.
The Council, which the Chief Justice of Nigeria heads, CJN, also warned a judge of the Oyo State High Court, Justice O. M. Olagunju.
The legal body, in a statement that was signed by its Director of Information, Mr Soji Oye, disclosed that Justice Olagunju used uncouth language in a letter he addressed to the CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, which challenged the Council's decision and its Policy Direction on the appointment of the President of Customary Court of Appeal, Oyo State.
More so, the NJC said it had at its 106th meeting, considered the report of its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee on 22 petitions written against 27 Judicial Officers of the Federal and State High Courts.
Based on the report, the Council, empanelled four Committees to investigate allegations in the petitions that were found meritorious.
It, however, discountenanced 18 other petitions that were written against various judges, for lacking in merit, abandoned or for being subjudice.
According to the statement, the discountenanced petitions were against Hon. Justice Monica B. Dongban-Mensem, President Court of Appeal, Hon. Justices E. O. Williams Dawodu, B. A. Georgewill, Yargata Timpar, S. D. Samchi, Aisha B. Aliyu, A. A. Aderibigbe M. L. Shuaibu, H. A. O. Abiru and Abdulazeez Waziri all of the Court of Appeal.
Others were against; Hon. Justice John Tsoho, Chief Judge, Federal High Court, Hon. Justices Z. B. Abubakar, James. Kolawole Omotosho, Sunday B. Onu all of the Federal High Court and Justice Okon E. Abang when he was serving at the Federal High Court.
As well as against; Hon. Justice Kayode Agunloye of the FCT High Court, Hon. Justice Babagana Karumi of the High Court Borno State, Hon. Justice Maimuna A. Abubakar of the High Court of Niger State, Hon. Justice A. A. Aderibigbe of Osun State High Court and Hon. Justice Aisha B. Aliyu of Nasarawa State High Court.
Nevertheless, the NJC placed five Judges on its pre-sanction Watch List Register for poor performance, adding that the affected judges would be recommended for appropriate sanctions if they fail to improve on their performance.
At the meeting, the outgoing CJN, Justice Ariwoola, noting it would be the last he would preside over before his retirement, appreciated the cooperation he received from members of the Council and the Council's Secretariat, even as he implored them to extend the same gesture to his successor.
Members of the Council equally took turns to eulogize the outgoing CJN and wished him good health in retirement.
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