International News
FULL LIST: NJC Sends 10 Judges On Compulsory Retirement, Recommends 21 For Appointment
The National Judicial Council (NJC) at its 109th Meeting presided over by the Honourable, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat M. O. Kekere-Ekun, GCON, held on 25 June 2025 has recommended two Hon. Judges for appointment as Heads of Court for Ekiti and Yobe States, respectively.
The Heads of Court are:
Hon. Justice Adekanye Lekan Ogunmoye, Chief Judge, Ekiti State; and Hon. Kadi Abba Mammadi as Grand Kadi, Yobe State.
Similarly, Council has also recommended Mainasara Ibrahim Kogo Umar, Esq. to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for appointment as Chairman, Code of Conduct Tribunal.
The recommendations followed a careful consideration of various public complaints made against shortlisted candidates for the various positions and a rigorous interview by an 8- Member Interview Committee of the Council in line with the 2023 Revised NJC Guidelines and Procedural Appointment of Judicial Officers.
The remaining successful recommended for appointment as Judges for different Jurisdictions are as follows:
TWO HIGH COURT JUDGES FOR CROSS RIVER STATE
i) Edu, Glory Bassey
i) Irem, Melody Bassey
THREE HIGH COURT JUDGES FOR OGUN STATE
Adebayo Julius Adewole, Adejumoke Oluwatoyin Adebo, Oluyemisi Olukemi
THREE HIGH COURT JUDGES FOR ZAMFARA STATE i) Garba, Sirajo Aliyu
1) Bashir, Rabi
iii) Abdullahi, Nasiru
THREE KADIS FOR SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, ZAMFARA STATE
Ibrahim, Jibril
Muhammed, Sanusi Magami
Shaa’ ban Mansur
ONE KADI FOR SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, PLATEAU STATE
i) Badamasi, Kabir Adam
ONE JUDGE FOR CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, EBONYI STATE
i) Ogodo, Lynda Nneka
FOUR HIGH COURT JUDGES FOR KATSINA STATE
i) Dikko, Fadila Muhammad
ii) Abdulrahman, Shamsudden Yammama
iii) Abdullahi, Maryham Umaru
iv) Mohammed, Abubakar Dikko
It would be recalled that the Council had at its 108th Meeting held on 29 and 30 April 2025, approved a new policy to publish the names of candidates for consideration for appointment as Judicial Officers and invited public input.
A flurry of 86 public comments and complaints were received by the Council and 73 of them were favourable representing 85%, while 13 were adverse representing 15%.
However, out of the Thirteen (13) complaints, Five (5) had no accompanying verifying affidavits in breach of the publication guidelines and were not considered.
In view of the Council’s resolution, at its 27h Emergency Meeting held on 3 February 2025, relating to the appointment of the Chief Judge, Ekiti State, Council did not consider the Three (3) complaints relating thereto.
Five (5) complaints were considered against the appointment relating to the High Courts of Plateau and Kano States and the Sharia Courts of Appeal of Zamfara and Katsina States.
Flowing from this, Council dismissed Four (4) of the complaints, but found merit in one and dropped the affected candidate.
Meanwhile, the Council has approved the voluntary retirement of the following Judicial Officers:
i) Hon. Justice Babatunde Ademola Bakre of the Ogun State High Court.
ii) Hon. Justice H. O. Ajayi of the Kwara State High Court.
In the meantime, the Council has recommended compulsory retirement of ten Judges of Imo State Judiciary.
Nine (9) of the affected Judges of the Imo State Judiciary were found to have altered their dates of birth in their official records
in order to confer on themselves the undue advantage of staying longer in service while the other Judicial Officer, Hon. Justice .T N. Nzeukwu was found to have made himself available to be sworn in as acting Chief Judge of Imo State High Court knowing fully well that he was number four in the hierarchy of Judges of the Imo State Judiciary and contrary to Section 271.
(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
The nine Judges found to have falsified their records, comprising five (5) High Court Judges and four Judges of the
Customary Court of Appeal, Imo State are:
1. Hon Justice M. E. Nwagboso (High Court) 2. Hon Justice B. C. Theka (High Court)
3. Hon Justice K. A. Leaweanya (High Court)
.4 Hon Justice Okereke Chinyere Ngozi (High Court)
5. Hon Justice Innocent Chidi Ibeawuchi (High Court)
6. Hon Justice Tennyson Nze (Customary Court of Appeal)
7. Hon Justice Ofoha Uchenna (Customary Court of Appeal) 8. Hon Justice Everyman Eleanya (Customary Court of
Appeal)
9. Hon Justice Rosemond Ibe (Customary Court of Appeal)
Hon. Justice .T N. Nzeukwu was sanctioned for making himself available to be sworn into office as acting Chief Judge of Imo State.
The President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Imo State, Hon Justice V. U. Okorie who chaired the Commission that nominated Hon. Justice Nzeukwu as acting Chief Judge was however absolved, having dissented on record against the recommendation to appoint Hon. Justice T. N. Nzeukwu as acting Chief Judge.
Council however reiterated its earlier direction to the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma to swear in the most Senior Judge of the State as the acting Chief Judge.
Council took the decision after consideration of the reports of its Investigation Committee on allegations of age falsification against eighteen (18) Judges of the Imo state judiciary on the one hand and the queries issued to Hon. Justices V. U. Okorie and T. N. Nzeukwu.
The Council however dismissed, for want of merit, similar allegations against three Judges of the State High Court whose dates of birth were found to bear no discrepancy.
Six High Court Judges of the State, whose dates of birth either had discrepancies but with acceptable explanations or with discrepancies arising from genuine correction of their dates of birth to their disadvantage, were also exonerated.
The Judges whose dates of birth were found to bear no discrepancy are:
.1 Hon Justice .I O. Agugua (High Court)
2. Hon Justice C. A. Ononeze-Madu (High Court) 3. Hon Justice L. C. Azuama (High Court)
The two Judges given a clean bill of health owing to provision
of acceptable explanation for discrepancies in their dates of birth are:
1. Hon Justice Vincent I. Onyeka (High Court)
2. Hon Justice Vivian O. B. Ekezie (High Court)
Council directed that Hon. Justice Onyeka and Hon. Justice Ekezie must maintain the date of birth supplied by the Council of Legal Education in their official records.
Four other Judges absolved on account that they genuinely corrected their dates of birth to their disadvantage are:
.1 Hon Justice P. U. Nodum (High Court)
.2 Hon. Justice Alma Ngozi Eluwa (High Court)
.3 Hon. Justice Matthew Chinedu Ijezie (High Court) 4. Hon Justice Ononogbo Chidi Linus (High Court)
The Council has also reiterated its earlier direction to the
Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma, to appoint the most Senior Judicial Officer as the acting Chief Judge of the Imo State High Court.
Council, in further deliberation, barred a Judge of the National Industrial Court, Hon. Justice Isaac J. Essien, from being considered for promotion to a Higher Court for three years due to misconduct.
Council found that Hon. Justice Essien wrongly ordered the confiscation of over N1 billion belonging to the Nasarawa State Government and its Local Government Councils, despite being aware that there was a pending appeal and a pending application for stay of execution.
Council also noted that he refused to step aside from the case after the Nasarawa State Government raised concerns about possible bias.
Hon. Justice Essien was a former staff member of the State University, which owed him gratuity, and he had earlier demanded payment using the official letterhead of the Court – a clear breach of Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers.
Council further criticized him for personally visiting the Court of Appeal registry to confirm if an appeal had been filed in the case — an action considered highly inappropriate for a Judge.
His Lordship was found to have violated several rules in the Revised Code of Conduct for Judicial Officers and was reprimanded and barred from elevation to a higher judicial office for a period of (3) three years.
Council also considered the reports of its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees, which contained a total number of 30 petitions against various Judicial Officers. Four (4) Committees were empanelled for further investigation, four
(4) Judges were cautioned, while 2 petitions were dismissed for lacking in merit.
Council cautioned Hon. Justice Rahman A. Oshodi, over misuse of judicial discretion in Suit No. ID/232/53C/23.
Hon. Justice Daniel Okungbowa, Chief Judge Edo State was also cautioned over abuse of his judicial discretion in Suit No.
B1/555/2020 and was advised to exercise his discretion judicially and judiciously in future.
Council issued a final warning to Hon. Justice G. B. Okolosi of the Delta State High Court for continued flouting Section 294 (1) of the 1999 Constitution and Hon. Justice Sa’adatu .I Mark, Federal High Court received caution for delivering judgment after constitutional 90 days.
Petition against Chief Judge, Benue State, Hon. Justice M. A. Ikpambese:
Council deliberated on the report of the investigation Committee in respect of three petitions by Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Fidelis Bemsen Mnyim, Guana Benjamin Joseph, Esq., and Terhemen Ngbea against Hon. Justice M. A. Ikpambese and absolved the Chief Judge from any judicial wrong doings, the petitions having ben found ot be lacking in merit.
It noted that all the petitions presented against him were with sole aim to remove him from his position.
Council was particularly concerned about the role of the Attorney-General of the State, Fidelis Bemsen Mnyim, Esq., ni the scheme to remove the Chief Judge and resolved to report him to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for necessary action.
Council dismissed petitions against four other Judges:
1. Hon. Justice A. M. Liman of the Federal High Court, Kano Division (Petition by Abdullahi Baffa Bichi)
2. Hon. Justice S. A. Amobeda (Petition by Abdullahi Baffa Bichi)
3 Hon. Justice Muhammad Auwal Haruna (Petition by Abdulrazaq Banaru Abubakar)
4. Hon. Justice Binta Fatima Murtala Nyako (Petition by Kabiru S. Chafe)
The joint petition against Hon. Justices A. M. Liman and S. A. Amobeda, and the petition against Hon. Justice Muhammad Auwal Haruna were withdrawn and accordingly
dismissed.
Hon. Justice Binta Fatima Murtala Nyako was exonerated as the Council found no merit in the petition accusing her of delaying judgment and issuing an order on a property while the case was ongoing.
Further action was suspended in respect of petitions against Hon. Justice A. M. Liman by Kenneth Okere (in a different case) and Hon. Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High Court for being sub judice.
The Council, however blacklisted one Peter N. Ekemezie a serial petitioner from presenting further petitions before it.
Kemi Babalola
Ogedengbe Deputy Director (Information)
US President Donald Trump says he is “not a big fan” of Pope Leo XIV, after the global leader of Catholics made a plea for peace amid the war in the Middle East.
The 70-year-old American pope publicly implored leaders on Saturday to end the violence, telling worshippers at St Peter’s Basilica: “Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”
“I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
He accused the pontiff of “toying with a country that wants a nuclear weapon.”
Trump later doubled down on his comments to reporters with a post on Truth Social, saying: “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.”
“Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” he said.
The president added that Leo had only been elected “because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump.”
“If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”
Trump later posted an AI-generated image seemingly depicting himself as Jesus Christ.
In the image, the president appears dressed in red and white robes as he cures a man with his healing hand. The American flag is shown over his shoulder.
Trump and the White House have previously shared AI-generated images, including one that showed the president dressed as the pope.
On Friday, a Vatican official denied reports that a top Pentagon official gave the church’s envoy to the United States a “bitter lecture” over Pope Leo’s criticisms of the Trump administration.
The story in the Free Press — which the Pentagon had already dismissed as “distorted” — reported that Cardinal Christophe Pierre was summoned in January to the Pentagon, where he was given a dressing-down by US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby.
The military official reportedly told the cardinal that the United States “has the military power to do whatever it wants — and that the Church had better take its side.”
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement “the account presented by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way.”
While both parties insist the meeting was cordial, the Holy See and the White House have openly been at odds over the Trump administration’s hardline mass deportation campaign — which the pope called “inhuman” — and the use of military force in the Middle East and Venezuela.
When Trump made genocidal threats against Iran Tuesday — saying “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” — the pontiff slammed the “truly unacceptable” statement and urged parties to “come back to the table” for negotiations.
Earlier this month, Pope Leo hailed the news of a ceasefire between the United States and Iran as a “sign of real hope.”
But peace talks between the United States and Iran, held in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, ended abruptly and without a resolution on Saturday, with US Vice President JD Vance telling reporters after a marathon-session of talks that Washington has delivered its “final and best offer.”
Pep Guardiola has explained the reason for Manchester City’s resurgence as they push for the Premier League title.
The win lifts City to 64 points from 31 games, cutting the deficit to leaders Arsenal—who have 70 points from 32 matches—to just six points, ramping up the title race in the closing stages of the campaign.
Asked why Manchester City have been in such fine form in the final stages of the season, Pep Guardiola joked: “The sun! If it had been shining in November, we’d have been league champions by January… No, I’m joking, of course. In Manchester, the sun doesn’t shine very often.”
Looking ahead to next Sunday’s 32nd-round clash with Arsenal in the Premier League, he added: “That game will feel like a final for both teams, but there is a tactical detail we need to review, so we may make some adjustments.
“Everyone is talking about the Arsenal game, but matches against Brentford, Bournemouth and the other sides are just as important. The season is still long.”
Guardiola added “We’re in better shape, and in training everyone knows exactly what they have to do. We’ve faced three strong opponents, three Champions League teams. We didn’t put in a complete performance for the full 90 minutes, but we were organised enough, didn’t concede many chances, and our attacking threat was always there.”
Pep Guardiola
He added:One of our secrets as a club and a system is that, after one success after another, we have remained humble and have always asked ourselves: what must we do to stay at the top? Winning once or twice is normal, but to remain at the top for nine years—with the exception of last season—reflects the strength of the entire system.”
Their dramatic grand finale fast approaching, Artemis II’s astronauts aimed for a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first voyage to the moon in more than half a century.
The tension in Mission Control mounted as the miles melted away between the four returning astronauts and Earth.
All eyes were on the capsule’s life-protecting heat shield that has to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry. On the only other test flight of the spacecraft — in 2022, with no one on board — the shield’s charred exterior came back looking as pockmarked as the moon.
Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen were on track to hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 32 — or 32 times the speed of sound — a blistering blur not seen since NASA’s Apollo moonshots of the 1960s and 1970s.
They didn’t plan on taking manual control except in an emergency. Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, is completely self-flying.
Like so many others, lead flight director Jeff Radigan anticipated feeling some of that “irrational fear that is human nature,” especially during the six minutes of communication blackout preceding the opening of the parachutes. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha awaited the crew’s arrival, along with a squadron of military planes and helicopters.
The last time NASA and the Defense Department teamed up for a lunar crew’s reentry was Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II was projected to come screaming back at 34,965 feet (10,657 meters) per second — or 23,840 mph (38,367 kph) — not a record but still mind-bogglingly fast before slowing to a 19 mph (30 kph) splashdown.
Artemis II’s record flyby and lunar views
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Launched from Florida on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASA’s long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.
Artemis II didn’t land on the moon or even orbit it. But it broke Apollo 13’s distance record, making Wiseman and his crew the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when they reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then, in the mission’s most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission to name a pair of craters after their moonship and Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.
During the record-breaking flyby, they documented scenes of the lunar far side never seen before by the naked eye and savored a total solar eclipse courtesy of the cosmos thanks to their launch date. The eclipse, in particular, “just blew all of us away,” Glover said.
Their sense of wonder and love awed everyone, as did their breathtaking pictures of the moon and Earth. The Artemis II crew channeled Apollo 8’s first lunar explorers with Earthset, showing our blue marble setting behind the gray moon. It was reminiscent of Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise shot from 1968.
“It just makes you want to continue to go back,” Radigan said on the eve of splashdown. “It’s the first of many trips, and we just need to continue on because there’s so much” more to learn about the moon.
Their moonshot drew global attention as well as star power, earning props from President Donald Trump; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; Britain’s King Charles III; Ryan Gosling, star of the latest space flick “Project Hail Mary;” Scarlett Johansson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner of TV’s original “Star Trek.”
Artemis II was a test flight for future moon missions
Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsule’s drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, toilet trouble prevented the crew from using it for No. 1 most of the trip, forcing them to resort to old-time bags and funnels.
The astronauts shrugged it all off.
“We can’t explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient,” Koch said, “unless we’re making a few sacrifices, unless we’re taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.”
Added Hansen: “You do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space, and it’s a doozy.”
Under the revamped Artemis program, next year’s Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will attempt to land a crew of two near the moon’s south pole in 2028.
The Artemis II crew’s allegiance was to those next Artemis crews, Wiseman said.
“But we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted,” he said.
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