President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the compulsory retirement of Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court.
Also, the president approved the dismissal of Justice O.O. Tokode of the Benin Division of the Federal High Court from office.
Buhari gave the approvals following the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, NJC.
Tokode has also been ordered to refund all salaries and allowances he earned from December 2, 2015 when he was sworn-in as a Judge of the Federal High Court to date.
They were described as illegal earnings.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made this known in a statement he issued.
According to him, the actions against the two Justices were in pursuance of section 292 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Shehu also said the president warned judicial officers to be alive to their responsibilities and avoid corruption.
It would be recalled that the NJC in December last year recommended the compulsory retirement of Justices Ademola and O. O. Tokode, both of the Federal High Court, for misconduct.
In a statement issued in Abuja by Soji Oye, NJC’s Director of Information, the decision was taken at the Council’s 84th meeting on December 6, 2017.
The NJC is chaired by the Chief Justice Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.
Ademola had on same December 6 written a letter notifying the council of his decision to voluntarily retire from the bench.
He was actually due for retirement on April 9, 2018, when he would attain the mandatory retirement age of 65 years.
The council said its decision was pursuant to its findings on the allegation in the petition written against Ademola by Committee of Anambra State PDP House of Representatives Members-Elect.
The council said the petition had alleged gross misconduct in the handling of a matter they filed before Ademola.
The council urged the public to disregard news circulating that Ademola had voluntarily retired.
In the case of Justice Tokode, the NJC recommended to the President for compulsory retirement with immediate effect.
It said the recommendation followed its findings on the allegation contained in petitions forwarded by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and Miss Abimbola Awogboro.
“The petitioners accused the judge of misleading the Federal Judicial Service Commission and the National Judicial Council.
”This was by submitting six judgements he claimed to have personally conducted while practising as a lawyer; a pre-requisite for his application for appointment as a judicial officer, and was so appointed.
“The investigation committee of council, however, found that the judge personally conducted only one of the six cases submitted.
“Therefore, Council decided to recommend his compulsory retirement and the refund of all salaries and allowances he earned since his purported appointment to the position of a Judge to the coffers of the Judiciary.”
The council said in the interim, both judges were suspended from office with immediate effect.
