NJC Recommends #Onnoghen For Retirement Says Tanko Muhammad Didn’t Commit Any Offence

The National Judicial Commission (NJC) has recommended Walter
Onnoghen, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), for compulsory
retirement, TheCable Reports.

After deliberating on the petition filed against him by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday,
members of the NJC unanimously agreed that Onnoghen has lost the
moral authority to continue as CJN with the litany of allegations
bordering on misconduct.

The NJC — which handles disciplinary issues of judicial officers
— sat under the interim leadership of Umaru Abdullahi, former
president of the court of appeal, who had to act because Onnoghen
was already under suspension.

The council also concluded that Tanko Muhammad did not commit
any offence by making himself available to be sworn in as acting
CJN without the recommendation of the NJC.

These recommendations have been passed to President Muhammadu
Buhari for approval, Soji Oye, the council’s director of
information, informed the media on Wednesday, although he did not
make the details public.

Buhari suspended Onnoghen on January 25, 2019 following an order
made by the CCT.

Recall how the Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data
Initiative (ARDI), a civil society group, launched the legal move
to remove Onnoghen.

The group had filed a petition against him at the Code of
Conduct Bureau (CCB) over alleged false declaration of assets.

The CCB is empowered by the constitution to investigate public
officers, after which it would forward its findings to the
appropriate body for trial if the allegations are confirmed.

It had listed a number of allegations against Onnoghen — notably
false declaration of assets.