The National Judicial Council (NJC) has taken decisive disciplinary action against several judicial officers following findings of professional misconduct. At its 112th meeting, the Council suspended three judges for one year without pay and issued cautions to eight others over offences ranging from the unlawful detention of litigants to the abuse of judicial powers and disregard for due process.
The decisions were reached at the meeting held on November 3, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. The details were made public in a statement issued by the Council’s Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, and published on the NJC website on Wednesday.
Three Judges Suspended Without Pay
The three judicial officers suspended for one year without pay 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 addition to their suspension, two of the affected judges were barred from elevation for three years.
Justice Kabir was sanctioned over the unlawful detention of a litigant for 58 days without proper contempt proceedings. Investigations established that she ordered the litigant’s arrest and detention for alleged disobedience of court orders without issuing or serving the mandatory Forms 48 and 49, and without instituting proper contempt proceedings. The committee held that the alleged contempt occurred outside the court’s presence and could not lawfully be tried and punished summarily. It further found that her action violated the litigant’s right to fair hearing. She was suspended for one year without pay and barred from nomination for elevation for three years.
Grand Kadi Salihu was suspended for one year without pay over his involvement in reopening a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court. The committee found that 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 committee held that the process amounted to an appeal against a valid judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, which was later set aside by the Jigawa State High Court. It also found that his conduct violated Rule 3.3.1 of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, 2016.
Justice Biambo received a one-year suspension without pay and a three-year bar from elevation over the issuance of bench warrants and the imposition of fines on litigants in a civil dispute without due process. The committee found that he ordered the arrest of the petitioners for alleged disobedience of an interim injunction and subsequently imposed fines of N300,000 on each without instituting contempt proceedings or serving Forms 48 and 49. It held that the alleged contempt occurred outside the court’s presence and ought not to have been summarily tried and punished.
Cautions, Warning Letters and Watch List Placements
The eight other judicial officers affected by the Council’s disciplinary decisions are Justice Kayode Agunloye, Justice Bello Kawu, Justice Danjuma A. Oyigbenu, Justice Isa Ebini Kana, Justice Mohammed Zubairu, Justice C. A. Ogbuagor, Justice Chibuike L. Azuama and one other officer not named in the detailed disciplinary section of the statement.
Justice Agunloye was cautioned over his handling of post-judgment garnishee proceedings in a suit involving First Bank of Nigeria Plc. The committee found that he improperly entertained and granted a fresh ex parte application for a Garnishee Order Nisi on October 22, 2025, after an earlier similar application had been withdrawn and struck out. This occurred while other pending applications, including the bank’s application for stay of execution, had been adjourned to November 4, 2025. The committee held that his action created room for justifiable suspicion.
Justice Kawu was directed to be 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 a subsisting remand order issued by another judge of the same court. The investigation committee found that he knew of the earlier order, which was due to expire at midnight on December 24, 2025, but granted interim bail on December 23, 2025, in conflict with it.
Two judges were directed to be issued warning letters over their failure to deliver judgment in an appeal within the constitutionally prescribed 90 days. The committee rejected their arguments that the constitutional provision did not apply to appellate courts, noting their admission that judgment was delivered outside the stipulated period without a satisfactory explanation for the delay. The Council directed that warning letters be issued to them for breaching Section 294 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and advised them to be more diligent in their case management.
Justice Zubairu was cautioned and placed on the Council’s Watch List for entertaining an application and making orders after being informed that an appeal had already been entered at the Court of Appeal. The committee held that his action amounted to disregard for the appellate court and bordered on insubordination. It also found his defence untenable.
Justice Ogbuagor was cautioned for continuing proceedings despite a pending appeal and an application for stay of proceedings. The committee found that he exhibited judicial impertinence, denied fair hearing and disregarded due process and court hierarchy. The Council advised him to familiarise himself with the law and procedures governing appeals.
Justice Azuama was cautioned, placed on the Council’s Watch List and advised to take his judicial responsibilities seriously. The Council found that he granted an ex parte Garnishee Order freezing the bank accounts of Puma Energy, a company that was not a party to the substantive suit, thereby causing it substantial losses.
Petitions Reviewed by the Council
The NJC also considered reports on 35 petitions submitted by its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees. It dismissed 24 petitions for lack of merit, recommended four for further investigation and placed one petition in abeyance because it was sub judice. The Council further directed that investigations should continue into a petition against Justice G. N. Ugbala of the Ebonyi State High Court despite the petitioner’s notice of withdrawal.
The disciplinary decisions underscore the Council’s stated commitment to upholding judicial integrity and ensuring that judicial officers adhere to the highest standards of conduct in the discharge of their duties.
