The National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended three judges for one year without pay over alleged abuse of judicial powers, unlawful detention of litigants and violation of due process.
The affected judicial officers were also barred from promotion for three years, while eight other judges received cautions and three were issued warning letters over various acts of judicial misconduct.
The decisions were reached at the NJC’s 112th meeting held on November 3, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
The suspended judges are Justice Hannatu Mohammed Kabir of the Nasarawa State High Court, Grand Kadi Mohammed Sani Salihu of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal and Justice Sobere Biambo of the Rivers State High Court.
Justice Kabir was sanctioned for ordering the arrest and detention of a litigant for 58 days over alleged disobedience to a court order without following the legally prescribed contempt proceedings.
The Council found that she failed to serve the mandatory Forms 48 and 49 before taking the action, thereby violating the litigant’s right to fair hearing.
Grand Kadi Salihu was suspended for interfering with a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court.
Investigations revealed that he constituted a committee to review the judgment and subsequently transferred the matter to another judge, who received fresh evidence and delivered a new judgment.
The NJC held that his action amounted to an unauthorised appeal against a valid judgment delivered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Justice Biambo was also found guilty of ordering the arrest of litigants and imposing fines of N300,000 each in a civil dispute without following proper contempt procedures.
The Council said the actions of the three judicial officers amounted to serious breaches of judicial conduct.
Meanwhile, the NJC cautioned Justice Kayode Agunloye of the FCT High Court over his handling of garnishee proceedings involving First Bank of Nigeria Plc.
He was faulted for granting a fresh ex parte application for a Garnishee Order Nisi after an earlier similar application had been withdrawn and struck out, while other applications, including a request for stay of execution, were still pending.
The Council also approved warning letters for Justices Danjuma Oyigbenu and Isa Ebini Kana for delivering judgments in an appeal outside the constitutionally stipulated 90-day period.
Justice Bello Kawu was also cautioned for granting interim bail to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, despite an existing remand order issued by another judge.
Other judicial officers placed under caution or on the NJC’s Watch List include Justice Mohammed Zubairu of the FCT High Court, Justice C. A. Ogbuagor of the Enugu State High Court and Justice Chibuike Azuama of the Imo State High Court.
Justice Zubairu was faulted for making orders after being informed that an appeal had been entered at the Court of Appeal, while Justice Ogbuagor was cautioned for continuing proceedings despite a pending appeal and application for stay.
Justice Azuama was also queried over an ex parte garnishee order freezing the accounts of Puma Energy, a company that was not a party to the substantive suit.
The NJC further reviewed 35 petitions forwarded by its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees.
While 24 petitions were dismissed for lacking merit, four were recommended for further investigation and one was put on hold because the matter was already before a court.
The Council also directed that investigations into a petition against Justice G. N. Ugbala of the Ebonyi State High Court should continue despite the petitioner’s decision to withdraw the complaint.
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