The National Judicial Council (NJC) has constituted four investigative panels to probe 27 High Court judges accused of various acts of judicial misconduct.

The council, which is chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, also issued a stern warning to Justice O. M. Olagunju of the Oyo State High Court for the inappropriate language used in a letter directed to the CJN.

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The letter challenged the Council’s decision and policy regarding the appointment of the President of the Customary Court of Appeal in Oyo State.

In a statement released by the NJC’s Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, it was disclosed that the council, during its 106th meeting, reviewed the report from its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committee.

The report pertained to 22 petitions filed against the 27 judges from both Federal and State High Courts.

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Following the review, the Council found the allegations in some of the petitions to be credible and consequently established four committees to thoroughly investigate the cases.

However, the NJC dismissed 18 other petitions due to lack of merit, abandonment, or because they were deemed sub judice.

Among the dismissed petitions were those against Hon. Justice Monica B. Dongban-Mensem, President of the Court of Appeal, and several other Justices from both the Court of Appeal and Federal High Court, including Hon. Justice John Tsoho, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, and Hon. Justice Okon E. Abang.

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Additionally, five judges have been placed on the NJC’s pre-sanction Watch List Register due to poor performance.

The NJC indicated that these judges could face sanctions if their performance does not improve.

As this was the final meeting presided over by the outgoing CJN, Justice Ariwoola, before his retirement, he expressed his gratitude to the Council members and the Secretariat for their support.

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In return, the members praised the outgoing CJN and wished him good health in his retirement.

A tense situation unfolded in Jos, Plateau State, where Hon. Christopher Audu, the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) Chairman of Qua’an Pan Local Government Area, was brutally assaulted by delegates during a primary election.

The incident, which took place on Thursday, escalated after Audu was declared the winner of the election.

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According to eyewitnesses, the election initially proceeded peacefully, but tensions flared when some delegates and PDP members, who had been barred from entering the hall, forced their way in.

The group accused Audu of manipulating the process by selecting his loyalists as delegates while preventing genuine delegates from participating.

In a fit of anger, the mob attacked Hon. Audu, severely beating him.

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The TIC Chairman sustained significant injuries and was immediately rushed from Ba’ap, the headquarters of Qua’an Pan LGA, to an undisclosed location for urgent medical care.

The chaos did not stop with Audu’s assault, as the enraged delegates also reportedly attacked officials of the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) who were present to oversee the process.

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As of now, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has not released an official statement regarding the incident.

Medical personnel are currently working to save Hon. Audu’s life as he remains in critical condition.

The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has condemned the new electoral law introduced by the Anambra State government, labeling it a direct assault on Nigeria’s democratic values.

In a statement issued on Friday by its National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, IPAC vowed to resist the law, which they claim undermines the Constitution and the Electoral Act of 2022.

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The council highlighted that the law was hurriedly passed by the Anambra State House of Assembly in a single day, just ahead of the upcoming September 28 Local Government elections.

IPAC argues that this rushed process is a clear attempt to manipulate the electoral framework to favor certain political interests.

Dantalle criticized the law as a “retrogressive and anti-democratic” move that exemplifies “legislative recklessness” and a “deliberate assault on the rule of law.”

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IPAC asserted that the law is designed to centralize power within the state, contradicting the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act, which delineate the roles and powers of political parties and electoral bodies.

The council emphasized its intention to challenge the law in court, citing the Supreme Court’s previous rulings against similar legislative overreach.

IPAC also reiterated its long-standing advocacy for the abolition of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), arguing that these bodies have consistently failed to conduct free and fair elections.

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IPAC called on the Anambra State government to withdraw the law to avoid political instability and legal battles, warning that the new legislation could disrupt the relative peace in the state and set a dangerous precedent for the country’s democracy.

The council further reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic process and ensuring that power remains with the people, not through backdoor legislative maneuvers.

The Executive Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Jalal Arabi, and the commission’s Secretary, Abdullahi Kontagora, are currently in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of mismanagement of the N90 billion 2024 Hajj subsidy, according to sources.

Available documents on Wednesday revealed that the EFCC recovered a total of SR314,098 (Saudi Riyal) from Arabi and other top officials of the commission.

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The anti-graft agency’s investigation suggests that Arabi and others fraudulently overpaid themselves and others from the Hajj subsidy funds.

The approved 2024 Hajj operational costs for various officials were $4,250 for the Chairman/CEO, $12,750 for Commissioners, $3,825 for the Secretary, and $15,300 for Directors/Chief of Staff.

However, the EFCC alleges that the Chairman received SR50,000 instead of his entitled SR15,929, and other officials similarly received inflated amounts.

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The EFCC first interrogated Arabi on July 29 and released him on bail, but he was brought in again for questioning and detained on Wednesday.

According to a source within the EFCC, both the Chairman and Secretary of NAHCON are under intense scrutiny regarding the N90 billion subsidy, among other allegations.

Additionally, an exclusive document revealed that SR8,614,175.27 in cash withdrawals from the N90 billion subsidy remains unaccounted for by NAHCON.

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The document outlined how the subsidy was converted into Saudi Riyal and deposited into a British SAAB Account in Saudi Arabia.

Significant withdrawals were made during the 2024 Hajj operations, but discrepancies in the expected cash payments have raised suspicions.

Further investigations into the commission’s activities since 2022 led to the recovery of estacodes paid to staff who did not undertake study tours and payments made to Shuraka’a al-Khair Group Ltd for services that were never rendered.

It was also revealed that supporting documents for consultancy payments were backdated to facilitate fraudulent transactions.

Jalal Arabi reportedly admitted that the consultant did not render any services, and the EFCC recovered SR1,026,000.00, equivalent to about N430,920,000, from a company in Saudi Arabia related to these dubious payments. The commission’s Secretary was implicated in altering meeting minutes to justify these payments.

The EFCC is continuing its investigation into the matter, as the full extent of the alleged financial misconduct at NAHCON is yet to be determined.

Chekwas Okorie, the founder of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and its current Board of Trustees Chairman, has labeled the recent calls for the creation of Anioma, Orlu, and Etiti states in the Southeast as legitimate but dismissed them as mere political grandstanding given the substantial challenges posed by the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended).

He pointed out that these constitutional hurdles make such state creation efforts more symbolic than practical.

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Okorie also addressed the ongoing violence in the Southeast, characterizing the killings as largely self-inflicted and unfortunate.

He noted that the governors of the Southeast are forced to divert scarce resources that could be used for development toward combating the scourge of killings and kidnappings in the region.

He called on President Bola Tinubu’s administration to strengthen collaboration with the Southeast governors to effectively tackle the criminal activities plaguing the area.

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Okorie expressed confidence that President Tinubu could make significant progress by using his constitutional authority to instruct the Minister of Justice to enter a nolle prosequi in the case of Nnamdi Kanu and other Igbo activists detained for advocating for the self-determination of their people.

He believes that unconditional release of Kanu would go a long way toward resolving the insecurity and unrest in the Southeast.

Regarding the “Igbo-Must-Go” campaign in Lagos, Okorie expressed relief that many Nigerians across all levels of society have condemned the inciting and provocative call by unpatriotic elements for the Igbo to leave Lagos.

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However, he criticized the federal and Lagos State governments for their tepid response to the threats, suggesting that their actions—or lack thereof—indicate a degree of complicity or tolerance.

Okorie specifically questioned why President Tinubu has not called for the resignation of his aide, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, who made controversial statements on social media. He also expressed dissatisfaction with what he described as the weak condemnation of the offensive tweets by those behind the “Lagospedia” campaign, asserting that the Lagos State government should have apprehended and prosecuted the perpetrators to send a strong message of deterrence.

The Kano State government has reported that documents related to the corruption trial of former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje were stolen by protesters who invaded the State High Court during a recent nationwide demonstration.

The court was among several properties damaged and looted by hoodlums during the #EndBadGovernance protest.

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The trial involves Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, his son Umar Abdullahi, and five others, who face eight charges of misappropriation and diversion of funds during Ganduje’s eight-year tenure as governor.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf visited the court on Wednesday to assess the extent of the damage.

He was accompanied by the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Haruna Isah Dederi, Chief Registrar of the High Court, Alhaji Abdullahi Ado Bayero, and several judges.

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The governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, stated that Yusuf described the vandalism as a deliberate act orchestrated by enemies of the state.

The miscreants, he said, were hired to disrupt the corruption trial of Ganduje, who is also the Acting National Chairman of the APC.

“It is very unfortunate that enemies of Kano State hired undesirable elements to vandalize one of the historic public buildings with the aim of averting corruption charges against Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, his family, and aides,” Tofa said in a statement.

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The statement further revealed that the vandals caused significant damage to the High Court, including the office of the state Chief Judge, resulting in losses exceeding N1 billion.

The damage included the theft of office equipment, destruction of offices, burning of vehicles, and the loss of crucial materials necessary for the dispensation of justice.

Governor Yusuf urged the youth of Kano State to avoid being used by detractors to engage in violence, advising them to focus instead on acquiring skills for a better future.

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He assured that the government would continue to prioritize the security of lives and property in the state.

Yusuf also expressed sympathy to Chief Judge Dije Abdu Aboki and the entire judiciary for the incident, encouraging them to recover what was lost to ensure justice for the people.

He thanked the people of Kano for their support of the current administration and prayed for continued peace, stability, and economic development in the state.