By Ayodele Oni
The judiciary, described as the last hope of common man has embarked on internal cleansing to rid the system of rotten eggs and guarantee public confidence.
To this end, the National Judicial Council’s (NJC) axe, has dangled on three judicial officers for acts of misconduct.
The judges of the superior courts were suspended for one year without pay for unlawful detention of litigants, abuse of judicial powers and disregard for due process.
Those suspended include Justice Hannatu Mohammed Kabir of the Nasarawa State High Court, Grand Kadi Mohammed Sani Salihu of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal and Justice Sobere Biambo of the Rivers State High Court.
The NJC also cautioned eight other judicial officers and approved warning letters to three judges, following investigations into petitions concerning their handling of cases.
The Council took the decisions at its 112th meeting, held on November 3, 2026 and presided over by Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
Justice Kabir was suspended for “ordering the arrest and detention of a litigant for 58 days over alleged disobedience of a court order without initiating proper contempt proceedings or serving the mandatory Forms 48 and 49.”
The Council also “barred her from nomination for elevation for three years,” holding that her action violated the litigant’s right to fair hearing.
Grand Kadi Salihu was suspended over his “involvement in reopening a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court.”
The investigation found that he “exceeded his authority by constituting a committee to review the judgment and subsequently assigning the matter to another judge, who received fresh evidence and delivered a new judgment.”
The process was held to amount to an appeal against a valid judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.
Justice Biambo was sanctioned for “ordering the arrest of litigants and imposing fines of N300,000 each in a civil dispute without proper contempt proceedings or service of the prescribed forms.”
Salihu and Biambo were “also barred from elevation for three years.”
The Council cautioned Justice Kayode Agunloye of the FCT High Court over his handling of “post-judgment garnishee proceedings in a suit involving First Bank of Nigeria Plc.”
It found that he granted a fresh ex parte application for a Garnishee Order Nisi after an earlier similar application had been withdrawn and struck out, while other pending applications, including an application for stay of execution, were awaiting hearing.
In another disciplinary decision, the NJC approved warnings and cautions for other judicial officers, “including Justice Bello Kawu, who granted interim bail to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, despite an existing remand order issued by another judge.
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