The National Judicial Council has announced the compulsory retirement of Justice C. E. Archibong of the federal high court Lagos and Justice T. D. Naron of the Plateau State high court.
The council also announced the setting up of a ‘fact finding’ committee to probe the conduct of Justice Abubakar Talba of the FCT high court on the controversial John Yusuf’s Police Pension case judgment.
A statement signed by Mr. Soji Oye, the NJC’s Ag. Director of Information said the council which took the decision at its emergency meeting chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar has asked the President Goodluck Jonathan and the Governor David Jonah Jang of Plateau state to immediately send the two judges on compulsory retirement for their misconducts.
Justice Archibong was recommended for compulsory retirement to pursuant to the ‘Findings” by the Council on the following Complaints leveled against him: That the Judge dismissed the grievous charges against an accused without taking his plea, that he refused to release the Certified True Copy of his Ruling to the Lawyers.
Justice Archibong was also said to have issued a bench warrant on some officials of Peoples Democratic Party for contempt even when the counsel who was directed by the Court to serve them filed an affidavit that he had not been able to serve the contempt application. He also made unfounded and caustic remarks on professional competence of some Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
NJC said that “there were glaring procedural irregularities which showed that Hon. Justice Archibong did not have a full grasp of the Law and procedure of the Court” as “he granted the leave sought for in the originating summons that had no written address of the parties and without hearing both parties in the originating summons after he had earlier on overruled the preliminary objection.”
Justice T. D. Naron of High Court of Justice, Plateau State was recommended for compulsory retirement sequel to the ‘Findings’ by the Council that there were constant and regular voice calls and exchange of mms and sms(text) messages between him and one of the Lead Counsel for one of the parties to the Suit in the Osun State Gubernatorial Election Tribunal contrary to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria vide Section 292(1((b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
Meanwhile, the National Judicial Council has in the exercise of its disciplinary powers under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, suspended the two Judges from office with immediate effect.
The Council also set up a ‘Fact Finding’ Committee to investigate the allegations leveled against Hon. Justice Abubakar Talba of FCT High Court in the Police Pension case of EFCC vs Mr. John Yusuf & Ors
