CJN to swear-in 12 new Judges for FCT High Court, July 10

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola will on Wednesday July 10, swear-in the newly appointed 12 Judges for the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory. The inauguration of the jurists has been slated to hold at the Main Courtroom of the Supreme Court of Nigeria at 10am. A statement by the Director of Information and Press of the Supreme Court, Dr Akande Festus indicated that the new Judges are Buetnaan Mandy Bassi from Plateau State; Ademuyiwa Olakunle Oyeyipo from Kwara State; Bamodu Odunayo Olutomi from Lagos State; Iheabunike Anumaenwe Godwin from Imo State and Odo Celestine Obinna from Enugu State and Hauwa Lawal Gummi from Zamfara State respectively. The rest are Sarah Benjamin Inesu Avoh from Bayelsa State; Maryam Iye Yusuf from Kogi State; Ariwoola Oluwakemi Victoria from Oyo State; Lesley Nkesi Belema Wike from Rivers State; Ibrahim Tanko Munirat from Bauchi State and Abdulrahman Usman from Taraba State.

CJN Reads Riot Act To Son, 22 New FHC Judges

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has read the riot act to his son, Olukayode Ariwoola Jnr and 22 others who were sworn in on Wednesday, as new Judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria.  In a speech shortly after swearing in the new judicial officers, Justice Ariwoola reminded the fresh Judges that they have by virtue of the oath they had taken, automatically, assumed new status and responsibilities in life.  The CJN stated that even though judicial officers are not spirits or superhuman beings, however, he told them that so much impossible things are yet expected from them by the society.  On this note, Justice Ariwoola warned them to be wary of conducts in and out of courts that are capable of dragging their hard-earned reputation into the murky waters of public shame and disgrace.  “Appointment to the bench is not an appointment to wealth, vainglory, dishonest disposition or ostentatious lifestyle through corrupt acquaintances.  “The searchlight of the National Judicial Council beams brightly on all judicial officers across the country. “The NJC should never, either by omission or commission, be mistaken for a toothless Bulldog.  “It can bark fiercely and as well bite deeply and aggressively, too.  “Our radar is sophisticated enough to detect every form of corruption and wrongdoing by judicial officers; and we will not waste a moment in taking the necessary action to fish out the bad eggs.  “The remoteness of your location of adjudication can never blur our sight on you.  “We have put in place the right machinery to capture and document your conduct.  “So, be careful and take heed, or else, you may end up regretting ever being appointed a judicial officer” the CJN warned. Justice Ariwoola advised the new Judges to heed to the entire letters and words of the oath they had taken, stressing it must reside in a prime place of their hearts and be generously applied in the discharge of their adjudications. “You must be impartial, fair to all, and apply justice in all your undertakings.  “The times that we are in, are quite perilous, so we need judicial officers who are calculative, honest, objective and dispassionate in all ramifications.  “Thus, your appointments to the bench at this crucial period of our national history are not by accident but by divine ordination” the CJN stated. 

CJN To Swear In 9 New Appeal Court Justices Sept 20

 *As Justice Amina Augie Retires On September 20, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will administer the oath of office to nine newly appointed Justices of the Court of Appeal. This inauguration ceremony will take place at the Main Court auditorium of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, as announced on Sunday in a statement by Dr. Festus Akande, the Director of Press and Information for the Supreme Court. The new Appellate Court Justices include Hannatu Azumi Laja-Balogun from Kaduna State, Binta Fatima Zubairu from Kaduna State, and Peter Chudi Obiora from Anambra State, among others. Each of these distinguished individuals has a substantial legal background, having served as High Court Judges for several years. Additionally, it was revealed that Justice Amina Adamu Augie is set to retire from the Supreme Court’s Bench on September 21, 2023. This follows her attainment of the mandatory retirement age of 70 on September 3, 2023. The valedictory court session in her honour, which was originally scheduled for September 3, has been postponed due to the Court’s annual vacation. Justice Augie, who became a Supreme Court Justice on November 7, 2016, graduated with a Second-Class Upper Division in Law from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1977 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978. With Justice Augie’s retirement, the Supreme Court will be left with 11 Justices, significantly below the Constitutionally stipulated 22 Justices. This development follows the passing of Justice Centus Chima Nweze of the Supreme Court in July this year. The current lineup of Justices on the Apex Court bench includes Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Olukayode Ariwoola, Musa Dattijo, Kudirat Motomori Kekere-Ekun, John Inyang Okoro, Uwani Abba Aji, Garba Lawal, Helen Morenikeji Ogunwumiju, Ibrahim Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Tijjani Abubakar, and Emmanuela Akomaye Agim.