(JUST IN) Ganduje’s probe : Court orders Kano judges to resign or risk sanction

 

A Federal High Court in Kano, led by Justice Simon Amobeda, has mandated two judges, Justice Farouk Lawan Adamu and Justice Zuwaira Yusuf, to resign from their appointments as heads of two separate judicial commissions within 48 hours.

 This directive targets appointments made by Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf. Justice Adamu was appointed to lead the Judicial Commission of Inquiry for the Recovery of Misappropriated Public Properties and Assets, while Justice Yusuf was appointed to head the Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Political Violence and Missing Persons.

Justice Amobeda’s ruling followed a case filed by former governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who sought to prevent Governor Yusuf from investigating his administration.

The judge ruled that if the two judges fail to comply within the 48-hour timeframe, the National Judicial Council (NJC) will halt their salaries and benefits.

The court highlighted that judges should not engage in executive functions assigned by the governor, as their primary role is to adjudicate disputes in court. Justice Amobeda emphasized that the governor’s action to appoint these judges to the commissions without appealing an earlier judgment by Justice A. Liman was an abuse of office.

Justice Liman had ruled that only the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) could investigate Ganduje.

Justice Amobeda underscored that the governor does not have the authority to appoint the judges to these commissions, stating that this move undermines the judicial arm of government and violates the doctrine of separation of powers. The judge ordered that the judges must step down from their commission roles and return to their judicial duties exclusively, or face the cessation of their judicial remuneration.

Respondents in this case include the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, the Attorney-General of Kano State, and the two judges, Justice Farouk Lawan Adamu and Justice Zuwaira Yusuf.