Drama In Nigeria’s Judiciary: Suspended Judge Replaced As CJ Orders Major Redeployment

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Justice John Tsoho, has appointed Justice M. G. Umar to replace Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Abuja Division, who was recently suspended for one year by the National Judicial Council (NJC).....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Justice Umar was transferred from the Enugu Judicial Division to take over Ekwo’s courtroom in Abuja.

In addition, four other judges have been reassigned to new divisions as part of a broader judicial reshuffle. No specific reasons were provided for the changes, which were announced in a statement released on Sunday by the court’s Director of Information, Dr. Catherine Oby Christopher.

The redeployments, which take immediate effect, are as follows:

• Justice M. G. Umar – from Enugu to Abuja

• Justice Tijjani Garba Ringim – from Gombe to Yola

• Justice M. T. Segun-Bello – from Abakaliki to Enugu

• Justice Bala Khalifa-Mohammed Usman – from Yola to Awka

• Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed – from Awka to Gombe

The affected judges have been instructed to conclude all pending judgments in their current postings as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, judges already serving in the Abakaliki and Katsina judicial divisions have been directed to temporarily oversee all existing and new cases within their respective courts until further notice.

Additionally, the public has been informed that all matters pending before Court No. 5 in Abuja will now be handled by Justice M. G. Umar, the newly assigned judge. As such, there will be no need for lawyers or litigants to request case reassignments following Justice Ekwo’s suspension.