On Friday, the National Judicial Council sacked two heads of court over age falsification. According to the council, this followed an investigation which established that the chief judge of Imo, Justice T. E. Chukwuemeka Chikeka, and the Grand Kadi of Yobe, Kadi Babagana Mahdi, were guilty.

The council also suspended a judge of the Rivers State High Court, Justice G. C. Aguma, and Justice A. O. Nwabunike of the Anambra State High Court for a year each without pay and placed them on ‘Watch List’ for two years after that.

The NJC took the decision at its 107th meeting on November 13 and 14, 2024.

In a statement by an NJC spokeswoman, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, the council recommended the Imo chief judge for compulsory retirement with effect from October 27, 2021, with all salaries and allowances he received in excess refunded to the council.

NJC recommended that Mr Mahdi “refund all salaries and allowances received for the past 12 years.”

“The recommendation was pursuant to the findings of the council that His Lordship has two different dates of birth: 27 October 1956 and 27 October 1958,” stated the NJC. “However, 27 October 1956 appeared to be the consistent date of birth, but in 2006, the Chief Judge swore to an affidavit changing the date of birth to 27 October 1958.”

It added, “Similarly, Council finds that Hon. Kadi Mahdi has three different dates of birth (10 December, 28 January, and July), all in 1959, while his actual date of birth was 1952.”

Meanwhile, the council noted that while Justice Aguma was suspended for misconduct, Justice Nwabunike “breached the provision of Rule 3.1 of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2016.”

The NJC statement added, “The council’s findings revealed that Hon. Justice G. C. Aguma committed acts of misconduct by aiding a litigant who obtained a judgment at the FCT High Court, Abuja, and filed a garnishee against judgement debtors in Bori Division of the High Court, Rivers State.

“On the part of Hon. Justice A. O. Nwabunike of Anambra State, he also failed to adhere to the principle of stare decisis from his different interpretation of the word “aspirant” and abused his judicial powers by granting ex parte orders without a Motion on Notice filed along with the originating summons.”

According to the statement, the NJC also considered the report of its preliminary complaints assessment committee, which considered 30 petitions, and empanelled six committees for further investigation.