NJC retires Justices Olotu, Inyang for gross misconduct

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the retirement of Justices Gladys Olotu of the Federal High Court, Abuja and Ufot Inyang of the Abuja High Court for “gross misconduct”.

The NJC directed that they should be suspended from office, pursuant to its disciplinary powers under the Constitution.

The council also issued warning letters to three others, who it accused of low performance.

The three include former Acting President of the Court of Appeal Justice Dalhatu Adamu, who was appointed when Justice Isa Ayo Salami (rtd) was suspended. Others are Justice A. A. Adeleye of the Ekiti State High Court and Justice D. O. Amaechina of the Anambra State High Court.

NJC, in a statement yesterday by its Acting Director, Information, Soji Oye, said the decisions were taken after its February 26 meeting, chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar.

NJC said the decision to retire Justice Olotu was informed by its findings on the allegations in petitions written against her. The findings include:

•That she “failed to deliver judgment only to deliver same in Suit No. FHC/UY/250/2003, 18 months after the final address by all the counsel in the suit, contrary to the constitutional provisions that judgments should be delivered within a period of 90 days’’;

•That she “admitted before the Fact-finding Committee of the council that investigated the allegations that she forgot she had a pending ruling to deliver in an application for joinder’’;

•That she “entertained a post judgment matter in Suit No. FHC/UY/CS/250/2003 in Port Harcourt after delivering judgment, which made her functus officio”; and

•That in another case: Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/505/2012, “Justice Olotu failed to deliver judgment twice.”

Justice Inyang also got the hammer, following the report on petitions against him.

He was found to have “included in his judgment, references to the Garnishee Proceedings, which came after the judgment had been delivered on December 20, 2011.’’

It was found that he “also included the name of the counsel to the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Chief Chukwuma Ekomaru, who came into the matter after the judgment of December, 20, 2011, was delivered.’’

The NJC also found out that Justice Inyang “recklessly signed a writ of execution, a day after delivering his judgment of December 20, 2011, the same day a notice of appeal and motion on notice for stay of execution were filed.”

The council said the judge continued with the garnishee proceedings despite application for a stay of execution and that before delivering his judgment, he “ignored a properly filed motion on notice for leave to file additional witness statement on oath.”

Justice Dalhatu Adamu, who holds the National Honour of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR), is a Justice at the Court of Appeal, Kaduna division.

He was warned for absenting himself from duty, a gross misconduct contrary to the 1999 Constitution, as amended and the Code of Conduct of Judicial Officers.”

The offence of Justices Adeleye and Amaechina was that of low performance.

“It would be recalled that council, at its last meeting which was on December 4 and 5, 2013, considered and deliberated on the report of its five-man committee, mandated to invite judicial officers with low performance or non-performance to appear before it. “At the end of deliberation on the report of the committee, council found Justice A. A. Adeleye of High Court of Justice, Ekiti State and Justice D. O. Amaechina of High Court of Justice, Anambra State, culpable of low performance.

“Consequently, council decided to warned them for decline in their productivity,” NJC said. (0)

NJC retires Justices Olotu, Inyang for gross misconduct