The National Judicial Council (NJC) Investigation Committee has concluded its two-day hearing on the high-stakes petition filed by the Civil Society Engagement Platform (CSEP) against 18 Judges serving in the Imo State Judiciary.
The intensive session, which ran from Wednesday, May 7th to Thursday, May 8th, 2025, saw the Committee scrutinize piles of documentary evidence submitted by the civil society coalition. According to reliable sources close to the proceedings, the hearings were strictly fact-finding, with the implicated Judges appearing alongside top legal heavyweights, including several Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs).
CSEP reportedly conducted deep investigations before submitting the petition, even securing birth records of some Judges’ younger siblings to substantiate allegations of age falsification. One dramatic revelation involved a Judge who claimed to be born in 1960—despite evidence that his younger brother, a CIC Enugu alumnus, was also born in the same year. “He’s not a twin, so the math just doesn’t add up,” a source noted.
The civil society coalition appears confident in the Committee’s ability to deliver justice. However, an insider warned that CSEP is prepared to stage mass protests at foreign embassies—including those of the US, UK, France, Germany, and the United Nations—if they detect any compromise in the NJC’s final ruling.
It’s worth recalling that the NJC has previously dismissed several Judicial Officers over age falsification—a misconduct considered both grave and embarrassing to the integrity of the judiciary.
This development comes amid growing scrutiny of the Nigerian Judiciary, with both local and international observers decrying deep-rooted corruption within the justice system. Many hope that the vigilance of civil society organizations like CSEP will help rebuild public trust and restore the judiciary’s battered credibility. 9news Nigeria team will continue to follow up with updates as they unfold.
