The Wig and the Law
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has set up a committee to investigate multiple allegations of abuse of office against the Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Adepele Ojo.
The NJC, under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, made this known in a statement after its 107th meeting signed by its Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe.
Sources hinted that the decision has thrown Osun State judiciary, especially its Bench to serious tension.
The statement reads, “The Council also empanelled a committee to investigate all complaints and petitions against Hon. Justice O. A. Ojo, Chief Judge, Osun State.
“The council also empanelled a Committee to investigate all complaints and petitions against Hon. Justice O. A. Ojo, Chief Judge, Osun State.”
The probe of the Osun CJ followed a petition by an Osun-based activist Temitope Fasina asking the CJN to review her activities.
In her petition dated October 14, 2024, and received by the NJC, the activist, through her lawyer, S.M. Essienkek, accused Justice Ojo of abuse of office, disobedience to court orders, mismanagement of public funds, and unilateral suspension of judicial staff members, among other things.
The petitioner called the attention of Justice Kekere-Ekun to the “ongoing irregularities, corruption and high-handedness that has marred the Osun State Judiciary under the leadership of the Justice Adepele Ojo, the Chief Judge of Osun State”.
Fasina claimed that the allegations against Justice Ojo were based on other petitions, including those of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, submitted to the Osun State House of Assembly and forwarded to the National Judicial Council.
The complainant claimed that the state judiciary’s audited financial statement showed some irregularities and that the monies allocated for training and manpower development for members of the state judiciary were not utilised for the same purpose.
The petitioner alleged that there were other “cases of expenditures without documentary evidence to back it up”, which she claimed breached the Osun State Government Financial Regulations Law.
The complainant further alleged that on November 13, 2019, the state high court directed that the sum of N7.4m which was kept on bond with the Chief Registrar of the Osun State High Court be forfeited to the Osun State Government. The complainant claimed that the CJ, however, unilaterally directed that the said amount be paid into an unknown account.
The petitioner urged the CJN to review the allegations against the CJN, arguing that the latter is “unfit to remain a judge and Chief Judge of Osun State”.
