Tension In Nigerian Judiciary As NJC Begins Probe Of Top Judges

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has commenced a discreet but far-reaching investigation into some highly placed judges in the country, including heads of courts, insiders at the council have told PREMIUM TIMES.

The NJC is the constitutional body responsible for appointing, promoting and disciplining judicial officers in Nigeria.

The 24-member council, led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, derives its authority from Paragraph 20 of Part One of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Our sources said the ongoing “extraordinary investigation” was triggered by a wave of “damning and disturbing petitions” filed against some unnamed “very senior judicial officers.”

“The allegation against one of the senior judges is so grave that Chief Justice Kekere-Ekun has ordered an urgent probe to identify culpable individuals and cleanse the judiciary,” an official familiar with the development told PREMIUM TIMES, adding that the inquiry is being handled with strict confidentiality and is known only to a handful of insiders.

“I can tell you that the NJC has, in recent times, received several petitions and complaints alleging serious and shocking misconduct, forgery, age falsification and false asset declarations,” the source said. “Deeply disturbed by the weight of the allegations, the CJN is mobilising the NJC for urgent administrative action. She does not want these claims to further erode public confidence in the judiciary.”

Our sources declined to disclose the identities of the judges under investigation or the individuals who filed the petitions, saying they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.

When contacted, Tobi Soniyi, Senior Special Assistant to the CJN on Media, directed all enquiries to the NJC, saying he had not been briefed on the issue.

The NJC’s Deputy Director (Information), Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, also told PREMIUM TIMES she was unaware of any such probe.

Justice Kekere-Ekun had, in September 2025, during a ceremony marking the commencement of the 2025/2026 legal year, pledged sweeping reforms aimed at promoting judicial excellence, transparency and effective justice administration.

Earlier, during her swearing-in as acting CJN in August 2024, she acknowledged that public confidence in the judiciary was waning, a troubling trend she vowed to reverse.

It remains unclear how far she has progressed in her efforts to sanitise the judiciary. However, since assuming office in August 2024, the NJC has imposed disciplinary measures on several judges found culpable of misconduct.

On 15 November 2024, under Justice Kekere-Ekun’s leadership, the NJC announced the compulsory retirement of two judges, the suspension of two others for two years, and the issuance of a formal warning to another.

Seven investigative committees were also constituted to examine allegations of judicial misconduct against several other judges.

Seven months later, on 26 June 2025, the NJC compulsorily retired 10 judges, cautioned five others, and barred a judge of the National Industrial Court from promotion for three years.