Odili’s Daughter, 21 Others Appointed High Court Judges

By Uche Mbah

Daughter of Supreme Court Judge, Justice Mary Odili, four children of serving and retired Judges, were among the 22 new Judges inaugurated Tuesday as High Court Judges by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Muhammed Tanko.

In 2020, there were controversies over the list of nominees that snowballed into protests.

President Buhari approved the nominations.

The new Judges include Njideka Nwosu-Iheme, daughter of Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court, who was a Magistrate at  Wuse Zone 6. She joined the Bench in 2015. Her mother-in-law, the Hon. Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme is a Judge of the Court of Appeal.

Relatives of eight Judges are said to be on the list.

They include Fatima Abubakar Aliyu, the daughter of the immediate past President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa; Mimi Katsina-Alu Apena, daughter of late CJN, Aloysius Katsina-Alu, and Ibrahim Mohammed, the son of a former Grand-Khadi of the FCT.

Some others are Nwabulu Chineze, said to be a sister to the presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Akure;

Other Judges are Madugu Alhaji, Agunloye Kayode, Enenche Eleojo, Aminu Abdullahi, Nwecheonwu Elewe, Sadiya Mayana, Kanyip Indinya, Aliyu Shafa, Mohammed Zubaru, Oluyemisi Adelaja, Agashieze Odinaka, Aliyu Ahmed, Hafsat Abba-Aliyu, Olufolake Oshin, Binta Dogonyaro, Muhammad Adamu and Jadesola Adeyemi-Ajayi

Speaking at the inauguration of the 22 judges, the CJN told them that the Bench is not for people with questionable character.

“The Bench is neither for the prosaic, the greedy nor those with questionable character who can easily fall for a plate of porridge offered by desperate litigants,” he said, adding that “appointment to the Bench is not an appointment to wealth, vain glory, dishonest disposition or ostentatious lifestyle through corrupt acquaintance. Our radar is sophisticated enough to detect every form of corruption and wrong doings. The remoteness of your location of adjudication can never blur our sight on you,” the CJN added.

The Judges are of the Federal Capital Territory.