The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, has redeployed three judges of the court with immediate effect.
The redeployment came barely three weeks after the National Judicial Council, NJC, descended on judges of the court for engaging in sundry judicial misconducts.
The court in a statement yesterday, disclosed that six judicial officers were affected in the immediate redeployment.
While Justice M. G. Umar, was redeployed from Enugu Judicial Division to Abuja, Justice Tijjani Garba Ringim, who was previously in Gombe Division of the court, was transferred to Yola.
Similarly, Justice M. T. Segun-Bello, who was serving at the Abakaliki Division, was moved to Enugu, while Justice Bala Khalifa-Mohammed Usman was redeployed from Yola to Awka Division.
Equally affected was Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed who was moved from Awka to Gombe Division.
According to the Director of Information of the court, Catherine Oby Christopher, “The affected Judges are to make their best endeavour to deliver all pending judgements in their current stations within the shortest possible time.”
She added that Judges currently resident in the Abakaliki and Katsina Judicial Divisions of the court would “take responsibility for all the cases already pending or newly instituted in their respective Divisions, until otherwise instructed.”
Meanwhile, the court revealed that all cases pending before Justice Inyang Ekwo who was on April 30, suspended and placed on Watch-List for five years, would now be inherited by Justice Umar, who was redeployed from Enugu to Abuja.
“Consequently, there is no need for litigants and /or counsel to apply to the Hon. The Chief Judge for re-assignment of cases that have been pending before the Court,” the statement further read.
It will be recalled that the NJC suspended Justice Ekwo for delivering a ruling without hearing the parties.
“The complaints against Hon. Justice Ekwo arose from Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/184/2021, wherein His Lordship delivered a Ruling in a pending application without hearing the parties. His Lordship ignored an application to set aside the proceedings of the Court conducted in the absence of the parties.
“Subsequently, His Lordship proceeded to deliver a ruling dismissing the Charge against the Defendants. Consequently, His Lordship was found to have violated Rule 3.1 and 3.3 of the 2016 Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the NJC stated.
Similarly, it suspendedJustice Aminu Baffa Aliyu of the Zamfara Division of the court for one year without pay for judicial misconduct in breach of Rule 3 (1) and 5 of the 2016 Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.
It equally placed him His on the Watch-List for three years within which period he was barred from elevation.
Justice Baffa was found liable for act of judicial misconduct in Suit No.FHC/GS/CS/30/2021, the Government of Zamfara State vs EFCC, wherein His “Lordship granted an order restraining security agencies from carrying out their statutory duties, and disregarded the doctrine of stare decisis in adjudication of the case.”
More so, the NJC issued a letter of caution to Justice A. O. Awogboro of the Lagos Division of the court following a petition that was filed by one Kasali Azeez Olagoke and S. Hamza in Suit No. FHC/CS/2021, between Chief Adesanya Musediku against Assistant General of Police, Onikan, Zone 2.
“In a petition to probe the recruitment exercise for the appointment of six (6) Federal High Court Judges in 2021 by one Abdullahi Liman, the Council noted that the petition violated Section 11 (1) of the Judicial Discipline Regulations which stipulated that a complaint must be filed within six (6) months of the occurrence of the event or matter complained of, whereas the Petitioner filed his complaints on the 22nd day of January, 2025,” the NJC added.
