Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, who has been in the midst of corruption allegations, has resigned as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Channels Television, citing sources, confirmed that Muhammad resigned on Sunday night on grounds of ill-health.
According to the report, he tendered his resignation letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, citing health challenges.
The CJN has been the subject of corruption allegations by some Supreme Court Justices.
Writing in a protest memo against him, 14 Supreme Court judges accused Muhammad not giving justices their legitimate entitlements.
According to them, Muhammad had blocked their annual foreign training, which is supposed to contribute to capacity building for the country’s judicial process.
Giving more details, they included mentioned their grouses to include non-replacement of poor vehicles; accommodation problem; lack of drugs at the Supreme Court clinic; epileptic electricity supply to the Supreme Court; increase in electricity tariff; no increase in the allowances for diesel; lack of internet services to residences and chambers.
According to them, the CJN made provisions for his personal staff and family members to travel abroad, but only a few judged have had that privilege under him.
Muhammad was appointed into office in 2019 following the removal of Walter Onnoghen.
Onnoghen was suspended in controversial circumstances after civil rights group filed a petition against him at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
The petitioners accused him, among others, of owning some secret foreign accounts, that contravened financial transparency and the code of conduct for public officials.
While Onnoghen denied the allegations, the CC Tribunal went ahead on April 18, 2019, to convict him for what it called false assets declaration, and banned him from holding public office for 10 years.
