The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended 86 judicial officers for appointment to different levels of judicature after deliberating on the notice of retirement of three judicial officers including its chairman and Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
In a statement by the Council’s Director of Information, Soji Oye, the NJC okayed all the candidates for the appointment at its 105th meeting which held between May 15 and 16, 2024.
Specifically, the 86 candidates were recommended for appointment to the bench of the Court of Appeal, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Sharia Courts of Appeal and the states’ Customary Courts of Appeal in Nigeria.
The statement said 22 judges of both Federal and state high courts were recommended for appointment as justices of the Appeal Court, 12 judges for the high court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and seven judges for the Imo State high court bench.
Besides, Oye said six judges were okayed for appointment into the Bauchi state high court bench, three judges for Taraba high court bench, 13 for Lagos high court bench and four others for Kogi State high court bench.
Also approved by the NJC at its two-day meeting were two judges for Jigawa state high court, five kadis for the Bauchi state Shariah Court of Appeal, five kadis for Kogi State Shariah Court of Appeal, one Kadi for the Jigawa State Shariah Court of Appeal, three judges for Imo State Customary Court of Appeal, two judges for the Taraba State Customary Court and one judge of the Kogi State of Customary Court of Appeal.
The 22 judges okayed for appointment into the Court of Appeal bench are:
1. Hon. Justice Kwahar Polycarp Terna
2. Hon. Justice Ruqayat Oremei Ayoola
3. Hon. Justice Eleojo Eneche
4. Hon. Justice Asma’u Akanbi-Yusuf
5. Hon. Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman
6. Hon. Justice Abdu Dogo
7. Hon. Justice Fadawu Umaru
8. Hon. Justice Ishaq Mohammed Sani
9. Hon. Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar
10. Hon. Justice Abdulazeez M. Anka
11. Hon. Justice Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba
12. Hon. Justice Nwoye Victoria Tochukwu
13. Hon. Justice Nwabunkeonye Onwosi
14. Hon. Justice Okorowo Donatus Uwaezuoke
15. Hon. Justice Ngozika Uwazurunonye Okaisabor
16. Hon. Justice Ntong Festus Ntong
17. Hon. Justice Nehizena Idemudia Afolabi
18. Hon. Justice Nyesom-Wike Eberechi Suzzette
19. Hon. Justice Lateef Babajide Lawal-Akapo
20. Hon. Justice Akinyemi Abiodun Azeem
21. Hon. Justice Oyewumi Oyejoju Oyebiola
22. Hon. Justice Olukayode Adegbola Adeniyi
The recommended high court for the FCT high courts are:
1. Ademuyiwa Olakunle Oyeyipo
2. Bamodu Odunayo Olutomi
3. Anumaenwe Godwin Iheabunike
4. Odo Celestine Obinna
5. Hauwa Lawal Gummi
6. Abdurahman Usman
7. Buetnaan Mandy Bassi
8. Sarah Benjamin Inesu Avoh while judges okayed for appointment into the high court bench of Imo are:
1. Akowundu Cletus Ndubuisi
2. Uchenna Mary Njoku
3. Chibuogwu Ojiugo Chukwumaeze
4. Ononogbo Chidi Linus
5. Adaego Peace Nosiri
6. Emeka Ozoma Orafu
7. Mathew Chinedu Ijezie
The details of the six judges okayed for the Bauchi state high court bench are:
1. Amin Umar Ilelah
2. Aliyu Bin Idris
3. Ahmed Shuaibu Ningi
4. Shafa’u Ladan Yusuf
5. Abdussalam Idris Waziri
6. Kawu A. Yerima
Others are: THREE (3) JUDGES, TARABA STATE HIGH COURT
1. Hamidu Audu
2. Bibonga Jeniffer Nauma
3. Joel Daniel Ubandoma
THIRTEEN (13) JUDGES, LAGOS STATE HIGH COURT
1. Sunmonu Tunde Bashiru
2. Azeez Fimisola Augusta
3. Alebiosu Olawale Lawal
4. Adewale Russel Musiliu
5. Popoola Oluwatosin Ajose
6. Anjorin-Ajose Tanimola Abdulwaheed
7. Muyideen Abdul-Raheem Tejumade
8. George Alfred Akingbola
9. Balogun Adegboyega Ganiu
10. Shonubi Adenike Kudirat
11. Badejo-Okusanya Yewande Jokotola
12. Layinka Oyeladun Amope
13. Ojuromi Nalirat Olayinka Oluwatosin
FOUR (4) JUDGES, KOGI STATE HIGH COURT
1. Ajesola Joseph Sunday
2. Ojoma Rachael Haruna
3. Kadiri Badama
4. Ezema Beatrice Ada
8. TWO (2) JUDGES, JIGAWA STATE HIGH COURT,
1. Mohammad El-Usman
2. Nilfa Abdullahi Gambo
FIVE (5) KADIS, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, BAUCHI STATE
1. Ishaku Magaji
2. Abdurrahman Hassan Sabo
3. Bello Mohammed Sambowal
4. Muhyiddeen Mohammed
5. Mahmoud Idris Shehu Tiyin
FIVE (5) KADIS, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, KOGI STATE
1. Muhammad Muhammad Bello
2. Okino Isah Saidu
3. Yakubu Adavenge Abbas
4. Shaibu Ridwan Aliyu
5. Idris Alhaji Abdullahi
ONE (1) KADI, SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, JIGAWA STATE
1. Mukhtar Shuaibu Adam
12. THREE (3) JUDGES, IMO STATE CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL
1. Everyman Ezenna Eleanya
2. Ofoha Sylvesta Uchenna
3. Ibeh Rosemond Oluchi
TWO JUDGES, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, TARABA STATE
1. Esther Tata
2. Benjamin Samuila Bawage
ONE (1) JUDGE, CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, KOGI STATE
1. Maryann Oziohu Otaru
Oye said that all recommended candidates are expected to be sworn-in after the approval of the NJC recommendations to the President and their respective State Governors.
Meanwhile, the statement said the NJC has also deliberated on the notification of retirements of three Judicial Officers including that of the Chief Justice of Nigeria Hon Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON and notification of death of three Judges of the Federal and State Courts.
