Jonathan approves appointment of 25 new Appeal Court judges

The approval follows the recommendation of the NJC.

President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the appointment of 25 new justices for the Court of Appeal; thereby, bringing the number of justices of the court to 90.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday and signed by Soji Oye, the Acting Director of Information of the National Judicial Council, NJC.

It said the appointments followed the recommendation of the NJC under the leadership of Mariam Mukhtar, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, to the president.

According to the statement, the appointments are in line with the new Court of Appeal (Amendment) Act which increased the number of justices of the court from 70 to 90.

It also said that the vacancies were occasioned by the demise and retirement of some justices, and the elevation of some justices of the Appeal Court to the Supreme Court.

“The justices will be sworn-in by the CJN on March 24, at 12 noon in the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” the statement read.

The new justices are Justices Hamma Barka (Gombe State), Joseph Jella (Taraba), Bitrus Sanga (Bauchi State), Muhammed Mustapha (Borno), Yargata Nimpar (Gombe), Sa’idu Hussein (Kogi) and Mudashiru Oniyangi (Kwara).

Others are Amina Wambai (Niger), Rilwan Abdullahi (Nasarawa), Tani Hassan (Kano), Muhammed Shuaibu (Jigawa), Kadi Alkali (Kaduna), Jamilu Tukur (Katsina), Paul Elechi (Ebonyi) and Ugochukwu Ogakwu (Enugu).

Also elevated to the appellate court are Nonyerem Okoronkwo (Imo), Joseph Ekanem (Akwa Ibom), F.E. Oho (Delta), Abimbola Adejumo (Edo) and Bolokuromo Ugo (Bayelsa)

Others are; Biobele Georgewill (Rivers), Oludotun Adefope-Okojie (Ogun),  Misitura Bolaji-Yusuf (Oyo), Olubunmi Oyewole (Osun) and O.E. Williams-Dawudu (Lagos).

(NAN)