The National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended three judicial officers for one year without pay over misconduct in the handling of cases, while seven others have received warnings or cautions.

The affected judges are Justice Hannatu Kabir of the Nasarawa State High Court, Grand Kadi Mohammed Salihu of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal, and Justice Sobere Biambo of the Rivers State High Court.

The decisions were reached at the council’s 112th meeting, held on 3 November and chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the NJC’s Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, said the council considered nine investigation reports on petitions against judicial officers, alongside reports on 35 petitions reviewed by its preliminary complaints assessment committees.

The council approved the suspension of Justice Kabir for one year without pay and barred her from consideration for promotion for three years.

The sanction followed findings that she ordered the arrest and detention of a litigant for 58 days over alleged disobedience of a court order without following the prescribed contempt procedure.

The NJC’s investigation committee found that the judge failed to issue and serve Forms 48 and 49 or institute proper contempt proceedings before ordering the litigant’s detention.

It also held that the alleged contempt occurred outside the judge’s presence and could not lawfully be dealt with through summary proceedings. The committee further found that her actions violated the litigant’s right to a fair hearing.

Grand Kadi Salihu was also suspended for one year without pay for exceeding his judicial authority by reopening a judgment delivered by an FCT Upper Area Court.

According to the NJC, Salihu constituted a committee to review the judgment and subsequently assigned the matter to a higher Sharia Court judge, who received fresh evidence and delivered another judgment.

The investigation committee found that the process amounted to an appeal against a valid judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction. The judgment was later set aside by the Jigawa State High Court.

The council said Salihu’s actions breached Rule 3.3.1 of the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers, 2016.

It directed the most senior Kadi of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal to perform the functions of Grand Kadi during the suspension.

The third suspended judge, Justice Biambo, was sanctioned for issuing bench warrants and imposing fines on litigants in a civil dispute without following due process.

The NJC approved a one-year suspension without pay and barred him from consideration for elevation for three years.

The investigation found that Biambo ordered the arrest of petitioners over alleged disobedience of an interim injunction and subsequently fined each of them N300,000.

However, he did not institute contempt proceedings or ensure that Forms 48 and 49 were served.

The committee held that the alleged contempt occurred outside the court's presence and should not have been summarily tried and punished.

The NJC also approved warnings or cautions against seven judicial officers over various breaches of judicial procedure.

They include Justices Bello Kawu and Mohammed Zubairu of the FCT High Court; Justices Danjuma Oyigbenu and Isa Ebini Kana of the Nasarawa State High Court; Justice C. A. Ogbuagor of the Enugu State High Court; Justice Chibuike Azuama of the Imo State High Court; and Justice Kayode Agunloye of the FCT High Court.

Justice Kawu was cautioned over his decision to grant interim bail to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, despite an existing remand order issued by another judge of the same court.

The NJC found that Kawu knew the remand order was due to expire at midnight on 24 December 2025 but granted interim bail on 23 December, while the order was still in force.

The council directed that he receive a warning letter and be placed on its watch list.

Justices Oyigbenu and Kana were warned for failing to deliver judgment in an appeal within the constitutionally prescribed 90-day period.

The judges had argued that the constitutional provision did not apply to appellate courts. The NJC rejected the argument, noting that they admitted delivering the judgment outside the stipulated period but failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the delay.

The council directed that warning letters be issued to both judges for breaching Section 294 of the Nigerian Constitution. It also advised them to improve their case management.

Justice Zubairu was cautioned and placed on the council’s watch list for entertaining an application and making orders after being informed that an appeal had already been entered at the Court of Appeal.

The investigation committee found that his actions disregarded the authority of the appellate court and amounted to conduct bordering on insubordination.

Justice Ogbuagor was cautioned for continuing proceedings despite a pending appeal and an application for a stay of proceedings.

The NJC found that his conduct denied a party fair hearing and disregarded due process and the established hierarchy of courts. It advised him to familiarise himself with the laws and procedures governing appeals.

Justice Azuama was cautioned and placed on the watch list after granting an ex parte garnishee order freezing the bank accounts of Puma Energy, a company that was not a party to the substantive suit.

The council found that the order caused the company substantial financial losses and advised the judge to take his judicial responsibilities more seriously.

Justice Agunloye was cautioned over his handling of post-judgment garnishee proceedings in a case involving First Bank of Nigeria Plc.

The investigation committee found that he granted a fresh ex parte application for a Garnishee Order Nisi on 22 October 2025, after an earlier similar application had been withdrawn and struck out.

The decision was taken while other applications, including the bank’s application for a stay of execution, remained pending and had been adjourned until 4 November 2025.

The committee said the judge’s action created room for justifiable suspicion.

The council dismissed petitions against Justice B. M. Balarabe of the Kaduna State High Court and Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court.

It also struck out a petition against Justice Peter Ikujuni of the Ondo State High Court because it had been leaked or published on social media, contrary to Paragraphs 2.2.4 and 2.2.8 of the National Judicial Policy, 2016.

Another petition against Justice Abdullahi Mika’ilu of the Niger State High Court was dismissed for lack of diligent prosecution.

The NJC further dismissed 24 petitions for lack of merit, recommended four others for further investigation and suspended consideration of one petition because the subject matter was before a court.

It also directed that investigations should continue into a petition against Justice G. N. Ugbala of the Ebonyi State High Court, despite the petitioner's notice of withdrawal.

Beyond the disciplinary matters, the NJC recommended 28 candidates for various judicial appointments as part of the decisions reached at the meeting.