NJC Sacks 2 Judges, Demands Refund of Salaries Allowances of 3, 12 Years, Gives Reason
- Imo chief judge and Yobe Grand Kadi, Hon. Justice T. E. Chukwuemeka Chikeka, and Hon. Kadi Babagana Mahdi have been recommended for compulsory retirement
- The NJC, in its findings, revealed that the heads of courts falsified their ages, and their compulsory retirements were recommended to the state governments
- According to the NJC, the two judges were to refund all salaries and allowances they received within the period they should have retired till the present, which is three and twelve years, respectively
The National Judicial Council recommended compulsory retirement for two Heads of Court due to age falsification. The affected judges are Hon. Justice T. E. Chukwuemeka Chikeka, Chief Judge of Imo State, and Hon. Kadi Babagana Mahdi, Grand Kadi of Yobe State.
Hon. Justice Chikeka was found to have two different dates of birth: 27 October 1956 and 27 October 1958. Despite the inconsistency, 27 October 1956 was the consistent date of birth until he swore to an affidavit changing it to 27 October 1958 in 2006.
NJC recommend compulsory retirement for two judges
Photo Credit: @ImranmuhdzSource: Twitter
The Council recommended Hon. Justice Chikeka’s compulsory retirement to the Governor of Imo State, effective 27 October 2021. He is also required to refund all salaries and allowances received in excess from that date.
Nigerian judge falsified age
Similarly, Hon. Kadi Mahdi had three different dates of birth in 1959, but his actual birth year is 1952. This means he should have retired 12 years ago. The Council held that Mahdi committed misconduct under the Public Service Rules, 2021.
The Council recommended Mahdi’s compulsory retirement to the Governor of Yobe State and ordered him to refund all salaries and allowances received over the past 12 years. The NJC’s decision was part of a move to clean up the judiciary for various corruption allegations.
Since her assumption as the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun has vowed to address the misconduct and allegations against judges.
NJC suspends two judges for misconduct
TheTalk.NG earlier reported that the NJC has announced the suspension of Justice G. C. Aguma of the High Court of Rivers State and Justice A. O. Nwabunike of the Anambra State High Court.
In addition to being suspended for one year without pay, the duo was placed on a watch list for another two years.
Source: TheTalk.NG
