The National Judicial Council, NJC, has asked the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja to affirm the guilty verdict it entered against the former Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Justice Lawal Hassan Gummi, in 2013, after he was found culpable on acts of judicial corruption.

The council, headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, argued that Justice Gummi, who relinquished his post to become an Emir in Zamfara State, abused the oath he took as a judicial officer, before vacating office as the FCT CJ.

Gummi, whose tenure as CJ would have ended this year, resigned his position barely three weeks after the NJC commenced investigation into a petition that sought his sack over alleged judicial impropriety.

His resignation came a day after he was crowned new Emir of Gummi Community in Zamfara State.

Despite his voluntary decision to willingly bow out of the Bench, the NJC still went ahead and constituted a panel that probed the allegation of judicial malpractice that was levelled against him.

In a statement it issued through its Acting Director of Information, Mr Soji Oye, the NJC, on July 18, 2013, said it had, at the end of its 63rd meeting, deliberated on the Report and recommendation of its committee that investigated the petition forwarded to it by Nestello Gateway Group in Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/486/10 against Hon. Justice Lawal Hassan Gummi, and found him culpable.

The Council said the CJ unduly interfered and perverted the course of justice in the case between Nestello Gateway Group and Governor Abdul’aziz Yari of Zamfara State.

NJC said that findings by its committee revealed that the ex-CJ interfered in the execution of a judgement delivered by Justice Jude Okeke of the FCT High Court, Abuja.

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