Fit or not? Judge faces probe over pension fraud case

by Oge Okonkwo

Professor Bem Angwe
Prof. Bem Angwe

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it will investigate a Federal High Court judge, Adeniyi Ademola in the Abuja Division of the court over his purported controversial handling of a bail granted to Sani Teidi Shaibu a former director of Pension Accounts in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

The information was given by the NHRC executive secretary, Bem Angwe, at the  flag-off the nationwide audit of prisons and other detention facilities during a visit to Kuje Prison.

Angwe said at the flag-off that the commission will study the case file of the embattled former director.

NCW News reports:

Specifically, the investigation is to establish whether the trial judge has not violated certain provisions of the code of conduct for judicial officers in Nigeria by his handling of the case and whether he is still a fit and proper person to occupy his exalted seat in the event that a case of judicial misconduct is established against him.

While in the prison, one of those in detention, Dr Shaibu, gave a graphic account of his ordeal in the hands of Justice Ademola, whom he accused of deliberately plotting to keep him perpetually in jail.

Dr Shaibu is facing a criminal trial before Justice Ademola alongside a former member of staff of Oceanic bank, Mr Udusegbe Omoefe Eric, and a few other corporate persons. In the 22-count charge broughtagainst them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), they were accused of obtaining money by false pretence, conspiracy to commit fraud and concealing the illicit origin of stolen pension funds.

He shocked the commission with his submissions that as against the N10million bail with two sureties in like sum totaling N20million granted him by Justice Bello where he was first arraigned over the same offence, Justice Ademola granted him bail in the sum of N500million with two sureties in like sum, totaling N1billion only to later increase it to N1.5billion after refusing his application for a variation of the bail conditions.

He further said his case has been adjourned sine dine (indefinitely) by the trial Judge and that he has been in prison custody for 11 months after perfecting his bail conditions.

It was on the basis of this that the commission said it would investigate the case by going through the case file to verify the allegations.

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