Nigeria’s judicial council suspends three judges for one year
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Nigeria’s National Judicial Council has suspended three judges for one year without pay for unlawful detention, abuse of power and breaches of procedure. Eight other judges were warned and three judges received warning letters after complaints were examined, according to Channels TV, cited by Punch.
Nigeria’s National Judicial Council (NJC) suspended three judges for one year without pay at its meeting on 3 November 2026 over misconduct including unlawful detention, abuse of judicial powers and disregard for due process. The decision was taken under the chairmanship of Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Chief Justice of Nigeria, according to Channels TV, as cited by Punch.
The sanctioned judges are Hannatu Mohammed Kabir, a judge at the Nasarawa State High Court; Mohammed Sani Salihu, chief qadi of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal; and Sobere Biambo, a judge at the Rivers State High Court. Kabir ordered a litigant to be detained for 58 days without initiating the prescribed contempt-of-court proceedings or serving the mandatory forms; Salihu ordered a final judgment to be reopened; and Biambo ordered litigants to be arrested and fined 300,000 naira each in a civil dispute.
The NJC also barred the three judges from being considered for promotion for three years. It issued a warning to eight other judges and approved warning letters for three judges after examining complaints concerning the handling of several cases, according to Channels TV.
