The National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended three judicial officers for one year without pay and cautioned eight others over various acts of misconduct, including unlawful detention of litigants, abuse of judicial powers and violation of due process.
The Council also approved warning letters for three judges following investigations into petitions concerning their handling of cases.
The decisions were reached at the NJC’s 112th meeting, held on November 3, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. 
The suspended officers are Justice Hannatu Mohammed Kabir of the Nasarawa State High Court, Grand Kadi Mohammed Sani Salihu of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal and Justice Sobere Biambo of the Rivers State High Court.
Justice Kabir was sanctioned for ordering the arrest and detention of a litigant for 58 days over alleged disobedience to a court order without initiating the required contempt proceedings or serving Forms 48 and 49.
The Council held that her action violated the litigant’s right to fair hearing. It also barred her from consideration for elevation for three years.
Similarly, Grand Kadi Salihu was suspended for exceeding his judicial authority by reopening a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court.
The NJC’s investigation found that he constituted a committee to review the judgment and subsequently assigned the matter to another judge, who received fresh evidence and delivered a new judgment.
The Council held that the process amounted to an appeal against a valid judgment delivered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Justice Biambo was also suspended for ordering the arrest of litigants and imposing fines of N300,000 each in a civil dispute without following the prescribed contempt procedures.
Like Grand Kadi Salihu, he was barred from elevation for three years.
The Council further cautioned Justice Kayode Agunloye of the FCT High Court over his handling of post-judgment garnishee proceedings in a case involving First Bank of Nigeria Plc.
It found that the judge granted a fresh ex parte application for a Garnishee Order Nisi after an earlier similar application had been withdrawn and struck out, despite other pending applications, including a request for a stay of execution.
In another disciplinary decision, the NJC approved a warning for Justice Bello Kawu over his decision to grant interim bail to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, despite an existing remand order issued by another judge.
Justices Danjuma Oyigbenu and Isa Ebini Kana also received warning letters for delivering judgments in an appeal outside the constitutionally prescribed 90-day period.
Other judicial officers cautioned or placed on the Council’s Watch List include Justice Mohammed Zubairu of the FCT High Court, for making orders after being notified that an appeal had been entered at the Court of Appeal.
Justice C. A. Ogbuagor of the Enugu State High Court was also sanctioned for continuing proceedings despite a pending appeal and an application for a stay of proceedings.
The Council equally cautioned Justice Chibuike Azuama of the Imo State High Court for granting an ex parte garnishee order freezing the accounts of Puma Energy, a company that was not a party to the substantive suit.
Meanwhile, the NJC considered 35 petitions forwarded by its Preliminary Complaints Assessment Committees. It dismissed 24 for lack of merit, recommended four for further investigation and suspended consideration of one because the matter was sub judice.
The Council also directed that investigations into a petition against Justice G. N. Ugbala of the Ebonyi State High Court should continue despite the petitioner’s notice of withdrawal.
In a separate development, the NJC recommended 28 candidates for judicial appointments across several states.
The recommendations include 24 judges for the High Courts of Kano, Ebonyi, Edo, Adamawa and Ogun states, a Grand Kadi for the Plateau State Sharia Court of Appeal, a Kadi for the Adamawa State Sharia Court of Appeal and two judges for the Adamawa State Customary Court of Appeal.
The Council also directed the Imo State Judicial Service Commission to include the name of the Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ijeoma Agugua, in the shortlist for appointment as substantive Chief Judge.
The directive followed a petition challenging her exclusion from the shortlist.
