Kogi Assembly Recommends Sack Of State Chief Judge

The removal of the Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Nasiru Ajanah has been recommended by the state House of Assembly for alleged gross misconduct.

The development came following the report and recommendations of the house committee on public account which accused the state High Court and the Kogi Hajj Commission of financial breaches.

A report into the incident has it that the report was read by the House Deputy Majority Leader, Ahmed Mohammed.

The house also called on the state chief judge to step aside so as to defend himself following the allegation against him.

The House also recommended punitive measures on those indicted to avoid a re-occurrence.

The house, however, called on the state government to urgently resume payment of salaries of judicial workers.

Haruna Idoko representing Idaho State Constituency has drawn the attention of the members on a particular court injunction stopping the house from discussing the matter but this was overruled by the Speaker, Prince Mathew Kolawole citing the constitution which gives the house power to invite and investigate issues of such in the state.

The state Chairman of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, Comrade Emmanuel Waniko cautioned the Speaker of the state Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mathew Kolawole against the plot to illegally and forcefully removed the Chief Judge.

The judiciary workers carried various placards with the inscription, “Why are you punishing us”, ” Pay us our salary”, “Bello you benefited from judiciary why are you fighting us”.

The chairman noted that the union was forced to make this call at this auspicious time following the reports reaching them on the clandestine moves by governor Yahaya Bello and his directive to the Speaker to disobey the subsisting order given on 13th December, 2018 by the High Court of Kogi State Koton-Karfe division, asking the state assembly to stay any action on the ongoing impasse between the executive and judiciary arms of Kogi State.

“We were last paid in June 2018 which makes it a total of nine months today that we are being owed our legitimate salaries. We are therefore upbeat that even after almost four months that our courts are shut down because of our ongoing strike, the state assembly would make itself available to further foster another crisis on the state through this proposed illegal removal of the Chief Judge.”

The Union opined that the executive arm of Kogi State must be told that JUSUN is resolute in their effort to right the wrongs been perpetuated in the state by governor Yahaya Bello.

He called on the state assembly to steer clear of this crisis and rather use its constitutional authority to bring sanity to the state by calling the governor to order.

“Any attempt to bring the hallowed chambers of the state judiciary into disrepute through this glaring and obvious miss governance in the state by illegally pronouncing the removal of the Chief Judge would be stoutly resisted.”

“We will also use this opportunity to encourage our members and urge our judiciary officers not to fall for the antics of the clear underperforming administration of governor Yahaya Bello”