The National Judicial Council (NJC) has approved the recommendation of 12 new Justices for the Court of Appeal while also imposing disciplinary sanctions on two judges over allegations of judicial misconduct.
The decisions were taken during the NJC’s 111th meeting held on May 13 and presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
In a statement released on Thursday, the council said the new appointments are aimed at filling existing vacancies created by retirements and elevations within the judiciary, as well as strengthening the justice delivery system across courts in the country.
Among those recommended for appointment as Court of Appeal Justices are several senior legal practitioners, while additional appointments were also approved for state-level judicial positions, including the Benue State High Court and Katsina State Sharia Court of Appeal.
The NJC also clarified its position on eligibility for judicial appointment, stating that retirement from public service does not automatically disqualify candidates from being appointed to the bench, provided constitutional requirements are met.
The council further introduced a new guideline requiring that retired public servants considered for judicial appointment must have at least 10 years remaining before reaching mandatory retirement age.
In Imo State, the NJC extended the tenure of an acting Chief Judge for three months to allow the completion of the process for appointing a substantive head of the judiciary.
On disciplinary matters, the council rejected appeals from eight judges who were previously compulsorily retired over allegations of age falsification, stating that no new evidence was provided to overturn the earlier decision. However, one judge was reinstated after presenting fresh evidence during review.
The NJC also suspended two judges, Ibrahim D. Shekarau and Edward A. E. Okpe, for one year without pay over separate cases of judicial misconduct involving improper handling of ex parte orders.
It further dismissed 73 petitions against judicial officers for lack of merit or procedural issues, while 11 others were referred for further investigation.
The council also commended several judges for outstanding performance and issued hundreds of performance-related letters to judicial officers as part of ongoing evaluation efforts within the judiciary.
