NJC has no standard to discipline judges – Mefor

A forensic analyst and psychologist, Mr Law Mefor has criticized the procedure adopted by the National Judicial Council for the discipline of erring judges in the country. He said investigations has shown that the NJC has no standards of assessing and apportioning disciplinary measures to erring judges but rather relies on “rules of thumb as […]

A forensic analyst and psychologist, Mr Law Mefor has criticized the procedure adopted by the National Judicial Council for the discipline of erring judges in the country.

He said investigations has shown that the NJC has no standards of assessing and apportioning disciplinary measures to erring judges but rather relies on “rules of thumb as the case arise, making its process and procedures entirely subjective and its conclusions value judgements.”

In an article sent to Daily Trust Law, Mefor said the NJC seems to be shielding some categories of judges while going after others with the sledgehammer. 

“The NJC is one of the Federal Executive Bodies created by virtue of Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

“Without standards and with the manifest ambience for bias, how can the performance of such all-important agency not be underwhelming? Several contradictory disciplinary actions taken by the NJC in the last couple of years, compared to the fate the same body has consigned Olotu’s case, prove the assertion beyond any doubt,” he added.

But the NJC’s director of Information, Soji Oye said the comments are driven more from ignorance of the procedure for discipline of judges. He said every judge accused of misconduct is availed fair hearing where they have the right to bring their own lawyers and an investigative committee will sit on the issues raised. He said the council does not always win all the cases against judges.