Buhari approves sack of High Court judge

In from Timothy Enietan-Matthews (Nation’s capital) . . .
The compulsory retirement of a judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Lambo Akanbi, has been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The judge who served in the Port Harcourt division of the court, was retired for misconduct on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, NJC.
This was disclosed in a statement by the acting Director of Information of the NJC, Mr. Soji Oye, adding that the compulsory retirement took immediate effect.
According to him, the NJC had during its 74th meeting held on November 4 and 5, 2015, recommended Justice Akanbi to President Buhari for compulsory retirement following various allegations leveled against him by Shell Petroleum Company Nigeria Limited, adding that the petitioner had alleged that Justice Akanbi unilaterally appointed Mr. Emeka Nkwo of CYN-JAC (NIG) LTD, who was not proposed by any of the parties, as ‘referee’ or ‘valuer’ in suit FHC/PH/CS/434/2012 and FHCC/PH/CS/435/2012.

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He was also accused of appointing the same referee or valuer in suit FHC/PH/CS/25/2003, another matter involving one of the parties in the first suit. He also allegedly heard and determined the case without recourse to the Notice of Preliminary Objection on the jurisdiction of his court.
Furthermore, the petitioner also accused Akanbi of sitting on the case in the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, in suit FHC/YNG/CS/30/2013 after a new judge had been transferred to the state without a fiat from the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and also delivered judgement in suit FHC/PH/CS/07/2009, four months after final addresses were taken without any cogent reason contrary to the constitutional provisions that judgment should be delivered within a period of 90 days.

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