The National Judicial Council has set up a five-man panel to investigate the allegations levelled against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and the acting CJN, Justice Tanko Muhammad.
The panel constituted on Wednesday will be headed by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice S.A Akintan, who is also a member of the council like other members of the committee.
A statement by the NJC’s Director of Information, Mr. Soji Oye, disclosed that the council took the decision after accepting “the result of the preliminary assessment of the petitions” written against both justices.
According to him, the council considered the “petitions to be worthy of further investigation and should not be terminated under Rule 17 of the Judicial Discipline Regulations o the Council”.
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“Consequently, the council constituted a five-member NJC Investigation Committee pursuant to Rule 20(1) of the Judicial Discipline Regulations under the chairmanship of Hon. Mr. Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
It disclosed that a new petition was filed against Justice Muhammad by the Action People’s Party, adding that the council gave the acting CJN “abridged seven days” for his “comments.”
Also on Wednesday, the Code of Conduct Tribunal, issued a Bench Warrant for the arrest of the suspended CJN, Onnoghen, ordering the Inspector General of Police and Director-General, Directorate of States Security Services to produce him in court on Friday.
