By Oriade Ayomide
The National Judicial Council (NJC), under the leadership of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, has suspended 2 judges and recommended the compulsory retirement of Justice Gladys Olotu of the Federal High Court and Justice U.A. Inyang of the Abuja High Court for gross misconduct.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Soji Oye, NJC Acting Director of Information, and issued on Thursday in Abuja. According to the statement, the judges were recommended to President Goodluck Jonathan for compulsory retirement from office pursuant to the outcome of the Council’s findings.
The NCJ statement reads: “Justice G. K. Olotu was recommended for compulsory retirement pursuant to the findings by the council on the following allegations inter-alia, contained in the petitions written against His Lordship: “That the judge failed to deliver judgment only to deliver same in Suit No. FHC/UY/250/2003, 18 months after the final address by all the counsel in the suit, contrary to the constitutional provisions that judgments should be delivered within a period of 90 days.
“The judge admitted before the Fact Finding Committee of the council that investigated the allegations that she forgot she had a pending ruling to deliver in an application for joinder; and
“That the judge entertained a post judgment matter in Suit No. FHC/UY/CS/250/2003 in Port Harcourt after delivering judgment, which made her functus officio.
“That in another case: Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/505/2012, Justice Olotu failed to deliver judgment twice. As for Justice U. A. Inyang of the Abuja High Court, he was also recommended for compulsory retirement from office sequel to the findings of the council on the following allegations levelled against him: That the judge included in his judgment, references to the garnishee proceedings, which came after the judgment had been delivered on December 20, 2011.
“That His Lordship also included the name of the counsel to Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Chief Chukwuma Ekomaru, SAN, who came into the matter after the judgment of December 20, 2011 was delivered;
“That the judge recklessly signed a Writ of Execution, a day after delivering his judgment of 20th December 20, 2011, the same day a Notice of Appeal and Motion on Notice for Stay of Execution were filed.
“That the judge continued with the garnishee proceedings despite application for stay of execution; and that before delivering his judgment of December 20, 2011, Justice Inyang ignored a properly filed motion on notice for leave to file additional witness statement on oath.”
