Anti-graft agency petitions NJC to sanction 3 'corrupt' judges

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked the National Judicial Council (NJC) to take disciplinary action against three judges who are under investigation for a host of misconducts.

In a report by The Punch, the anti-graft agency petitioned the council to take action against Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa and Justice Agbadu Fishim.

The agency, in the letter dated January 5, 2018, notified the council that the three judges are currently facing corruption trials in several courts.

The EFCC was compelled to write the petition after a Court of Appeal ruling in December 2017 that prohibited the agency from investigating or prosecuting serving judicial officers that have not been dismissed by the NJC.

Allegations against 3 judges

The EFCC had arraigned Justice Nganjiwa for allegedly receiving $260,000 and N8.7 million gratification to enrich himself as a public official but the court struck out the 14-count charges after Nganjiwa's counsel, Chief Robert Clarke (SAN), successfully argued that by virtue of Section 158 of the 1999 Constitution, only the National Judicial Council had power to deal with the kind of allegations brought by the EFCC against the judge.

Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia is facing 26 charges before a Lagos State High Court bordering on unlawful enrichment, corruption, forgery and giving false information to an official of the EFCC.

Justice Fishim is under probe for receiving an aggregate of N3.5m from seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria, one other Lagos-based lawyer and one law firm between 2013 and 2015.