The National Judicial Council (NJC) has approved the suspension of three judicial officers for one year without pay following investigations into petitions concerning their handling of court proceedings.
The decisions were taken at the Council’s 112th meeting held on November 3, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun.
The affected judicial officers are 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.
In the case of Justice Kabir, the Council approved a one-year suspension without pay and barred her from nomination for elevation for three years over the detention of a litigant for 58 days without the prescribed contempt proceedings.
According to the NJC, the investigation found that the judge ordered the litigant’s arrest and detention for alleged disobedience of court orders without the issuance and service of Forms 48 and 49 or the institution of proper contempt proceedings.
The Council’s investigation committee held that the alleged contempt occurred outside the court’s presence and could not lawfully be dealt with through summary proceedings. It also found that the process violated the litigant’s right to fair hearing.
Grand Kadi Salihu was also suspended for one year without pay over his involvement in reopening a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court.
The NJC said he exceeded his authority by constituting a committee to review the judgment and subsequently assigning the matter to a Higher Sharia Court Judge, who received fresh evidence and delivered another judgment.
The Council noted that the process amounted to an appeal against a valid judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction. The subsequent judgment was set aside by the Jigawa State High Court.
The third judicial officer, Justice Biambo, was suspended for one year without pay and barred from elevation for three years over the issuance of bench warrants and the imposition of fines on litigants in a civil dispute without due process.
The NJC found that he ordered the arrest of petitioners over alleged disobedience of an interim injunction and imposed fines of ₦300,000 on each of them without instituting contempt proceedings or serving Forms 48 and 49.
NJC takes further disciplinary action
Beyond the three suspensions, the Council considered nine investigation reports concerning petitions against judicial officers.
It also considered 35 petitions submitted by its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees, dismissing 24 for lack of merit, recommending four for further investigation and placing one in abeyance because it was sub judice.
Among the other disciplinary decisions, Justice Bello Kawu of the FCT High Court was issued a warning letter and placed on the Council’s Watch List over his grant of interim bail to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, despite an existing remand order issued by another judge.
The Council also took disciplinary action against judicial officers over delayed judgments, proceedings conducted despite pending appeals and orders made in circumstances it considered inconsistent with due process.
Twenty-eight candidates recommended for judicial appointments
In a separate decision, the NJC recommended 28 candidates for appointment to various judicial offices.
The recommendations include 24 candidates for appointment as High Court judges in Kano, Ebonyi, Edo, Adamawa and Ogun States, as well as candidates for the Sharia Courts of Appeal in Plateau and Adamawa States and the Adamawa State Customary Court of Appeal.
The Council also directed the Imo State Judicial Service Commission to include the name of the Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ijeoma Agugua, in the list of candidates for consideration for appointment as substantive Chief Judge.
The directive followed a petition challenging her exclusion from the shortlist.
The latest decisions place judicial accountability, fair hearing, the limits of contempt jurisdiction and adherence to court hierarchy at the centre of renewed attention within Nigeria’s justice system.
LegalLinkz will continue to monitor developments arising from the Council’s decisions.
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