As Muhammad serves as acting NJC chairman
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has deleted the name of Justice Walter Onnoghen’s from the council’s membership list.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had, in a rather controversial move, suspended Onnoghen from as the CJN on January 25, 2019 and announced Justice Tanko Muhammad in acting capacity.
The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), on April 18 sounded a death knell to Onnoghen’s over 40 years legal career by convicting him for breaching the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and ordered his removal as the CJN and the chairman of both the NJC and the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
Information on the council’s website shows that the council is now made up of 23 members instead of the full membership of 24.
It was gathered that the new CJN, Justice Tanko Muhammad, had been named as the acting chairman of the council.
The current members of the NJC as observed on the council’s website on include Justice Muhammad; the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa; a former Justice of the Supreme Court and a former chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Justice Emmanuel Ayoola; a former Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Sunday Akintan; and a former president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Umaru Abdullahi.
They also included a retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice, V.O.A Omage; Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Adamu Abdu-Kafarati; President, National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Justice Babatunde Adejumo; Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Ishaq Bello; and Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abiola.
Others are the Chief Judge of Borno State, Justice Kashim Zannah; Chief Judge of Imo State, Pascal Nnadi; Chief Judge of Delta State, Marshal Umukoro; Grand Kadi, Sharia Court of Appeal, Kwara State Grand Kadi Mohammed Abdulkadir; and President, Customary Court of Appeal, Plateau State, Justice Julia Kyentu.
Also listed are the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Paul Usoro; a former NBA president, Mr. Abubakar Mahmoud; and three NBA members, namely Dr. Muiz Banire, Damien Dodo, and Efe Etomi, a retired public servant, Mrs. Rakiya Ibrahim; a former permanent secretary, Mrs. R. Inga and secretary to the Council, Mr. Ahmed Saleh.
