NJC decides on Onnoghen, Muhammad today

The National Judicial Council (NJC) will today meet to decide matter of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen and the acting CJN, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad on the petitions written against them by two groups and a senior lawyer.

The NJC directed at its last meeting that both Onnoghen and Muhammad to within seven working days respond to the allegations against them.

The directive is against the usual 14 days time lag within which the council allows for responses to petitions. It decided to abridge the convention due to the sensitive nature of the situation.

Four petitions were filled at the NJC secretariat: One against Onnoghen, two against Muhammad, and the last against the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) chairman, Mr. Danladi Umar. The petition against Onnoghen was written by Zikhrillahi Ibrahim of Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civil Education while those against Muhammad came from the Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative and Chief Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), The Centre for Justice and Peace Initiative also filed a related petition against Umar.

Both of them were said to have responded to the petitions before the expiration of the given deadline.