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Mohammed Bako Iya, a Magistrate Court judge in Salka's Magama local government of the state, has been dismissed from his position with immediate effect by the Niger State Judicial Service Commission (NJSC) due to allegations of grave misconduct and abuse of judicial authority.
Two judges of the sharia court were also demoted by one grade level by the NJSC for misbehavior and misuse of power.
The impacted judges are Mohammed Baba Enagi, a colleague in Badeggi, and Abdullahi Nasiru, the Sharia Judge of Kotun Bola Minna.
At a news conference in Minna, Commission Secretary Abdulrahman Ahmed Garafini disclosed this information.
According to him, the decision was made during the Commission's 136th meeting on March 21, 2023, after the suggestions of the committee headed by Justice Mohammed Mohammed, which was established to look into petitions against judges, were taken into consideration.
The two Sharia court judges, Abdullahi Nasiru Mohammed Baba Enagi, are also required to do a one-year internship in another court, according to the NJSC Secretary.
Additionally, he stated that out of the seven petitions, three were filed against Mohammed Bako Iya, the judge who was fired. The petitioners' proof of two was adequate, and the judge categorically acknowledged the accusations made against him.
Garafini pointed out that the report accused Mohamed Bako of essentially abdicating his legal obligations by defending and protecting a suspect named Saba Idris from being detained by law enforcement and facing charges.
The secretary disclosed that he was also charged in a separate lawsuit for allegedly using his position of authority to threaten and collect N400,000 from Fulani herders whose livestock ruined the secretary's bean farm.
"The NJSC approved the committee's recommendations and dismissed the respondent with immediate effect after learning that Mohammed Bako was a judge in his own case and had used the office's resources to advance his own financial gain and private affairs." Garfini added.
