4th July, 2013
The Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC, has dismissed six judiciary workers implicated in the leakage of an undelivered judgment in a Supreme Court case involving controversial Anambra state olitician, Senator Alphonsus Uba Igbeke Vs Lady Margery Okadigbo and 3 others.
The Council at its meeting held Tuesday approved the dismissal of the judiciary workers over their embarrassing conduct.
The yet to be delivered judgment of the apex court on the matter was widely advertised in the media by Senator Igbeke up till the 31st of May when he judgment was delivered. He lost the battle for the senatorial seat of Anambra South at the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria via that decision.
According to a press release circulated by Mr. Sunday Sunday Olorundahunsi, the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, the six judiciary workers were found through internal and Police investigation, to have conspired among themselves and allegedly with two outsiders, that is Senator Igbeke and Mr. Collins Okechukwu, to leak out the judgment before it was delivered on 31st May, 2013.
Senator Igbeke put up a paid advert on page 42 of Daily Sun Newspapers of May, 30th, 2013, alleging that the said judgment had leaked which forced his counsel in the matter, Chief Wole Olanipekun, a senior advocate of Nigeria, to write to the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court to disassociate himself from the publication as well as withdrawing his services to Senator Igbeke on the matter.
The affected judiciary workers at the Supreme Court are; Mr Russell Ndenu, Mr Nathaniel Abraham, Mr Olayinka Abiodun, Mr Bada Kayode and Mr Festus Ilurimi, while Mr Stephen Izonebi is of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division.
The FJSC considered their act as serious misconduct that ran contrary to Regulation 48 (1)(xi) of the Federal Judicial Service Commission Regulations, Regulation 49 and Regulation 60 (1)(i) and in violation of the Public Service Rule (PSR) Cap 3 section 4 (030401) and (030416)
Meanwhile, the Federal Judicial Service Commission has requested the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation to further investigate the motive behind the leakage and possibly take legal action against Senator Alphonsus Igbeke and Mr Collins Okechukwu for allegedly masterminding the leaked undelivered judgment of the Supreme Court.
—Nnamdi Felix/Abuja