The Kano State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has sanctioned several judicial officers and court personnel over allegations of bribery, corruption, negligence and misconduct, including the compulsory retirement of a Shari’a Court judge found guilty of receiving a bribe.
The disciplinary actions were approved during the commission’s 90th meeting chaired by the Chief Judge of Kano State after reviewing reports submitted by its Establishment Committee and the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee.
Among those affected is Alkali Aliyu Muhammad, the presiding judge of the Shari’a Court in Babeji, who was compulsorily retired after the commission found him guilty of accepting a bribe in a civil case. He was also directed to refund ₦250,000 received as illegal gratification.
A court clerk attached to the same court, Ibrahim Ahmad Ibrahim, was suspended without pay for four months after admitting that he shared the money received in the bribery case.
The commission also ordered the compulsory retirement of Muzambilu Ado, Acting Director of Information and Statistics at the Shari’a Court of Appeal, over irregularities involving his academic qualifications and admission into the Nigerian Law School.
In another disciplinary action, Alkali Usman Haruna Usman of the Upper Shari’a Court, Goron Dutse, was demoted by one grade level and issued a warning after he was found negligent for allowing proceeds from the sale of an estate to be paid into the personal account of a court official.
Similarly, Alkali Abdullahi Wayya of the Upper Shari’a Court, Kasuwa, received a warning over negligence in supervising a bail process that led to the improper release of a defendant.
The commission also referred Inspector Shehu Adamu to the Commissioner of Police for investigation over allegations that he misled the court on bail conditions, while two court registrars, Salmanu Zubairu and Ahmad Kabir, will face further investigation over their roles in processing the bail documents.
Meanwhile, the commission reversed an earlier decision affecting Hon. Alkali Umar Sunusi Danbaba after fresh findings showed that the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee had not recommended his recall from judicial duties. He has since been reinstated with full salary and entitlements.
In a statement issued by the commission’s spokesperson, Baba Jibo Ibrahim, the JSC said it remains committed to enforcing discipline and maintaining the integrity of the judiciary, warning that judicial officers and staff found guilty of misconduct would continue to face appropriate sanctions.
(The Whistler)