NJC recommends compulsory retirement of justices Ademola, Tokode

• Warns others
The National Judicial Council (NJC) under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, has recommended compulsory retirement of Justice Adeniyi Ademola and Justice O. O. Tokode, both of the Federal High Court, for misconduct.

According to a statement issued by the NJC Director of Information, Soji Oye, the decision was reached at its 84th meeting, which held yesterday.

Surprisingly, the recommendation came hours after Justice Ademola tendered his letter for retirement. The letter was dated December 6 and addressed to the CJN through the Acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, and received yesterday.

According to the statement, Justice Ademola, who had forwarded his notice of retirement on October 10, to the NJC against April 9, 2018, when he will attain the mandatory retirement age of 65 years, was however recommended to President Muhammadu Buhari for compulsory retirement pursuant to the findings by the council on the allegation contained in a petition written against him by a group of eight persons under the umbrella of Committee of Anambra State PDP House of Representatives Members-elect.

Justice Tokode was also recommended for compulsory retirement from office with immediate effect sequel to the findings of NJC on the allegation contained in petitions forwarded by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Miss Abimbola Awogboro.

The petitioners accused the judge of misleading the Federal Judicial Service Commission and the NJC by submitting six judgements he claimed to have personally conducted while practising as a lawyer; a pre-requisite for his application for appointment as a judicial officer, and was so appointed.

“The Investigation Committee of Council however found that the judge personally conducted only one of the six cases submitted.”

The council warned Justice A. N. Ubaka of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for failure to deliver ruling in suit No. NICN/BEN/51/2014 within the time specified time by law. NJC also warned Justice Zainab Aliyu Sadat of the High Court of Niger State, and placed her on the watch-list for three years for claiming that the defendant in suit No: NHSC/MN/46/2016, failed to make available authority cited by them after submission of the argument to her.

Justice A. M. Lawal of Lagos State High Court was also issued a warning letter and placed on ‘watch-list’ for one year for unnecessary delay in delivering his ruling and giving his personal phone number to parties.