Supreme Court Justices under probe withdraw from sittings voluntarily no suspended

The two Justices of the Supreme Court, Sylva Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro, who were among some judiciary officers recently arrested by the Department of State Services on corruption allegations, have voluntarily withdrawn from further participating in the proceedings of the apex court.

The PUNCH learnt on Sunday that the two senior judiciary officers would no longer sit until when they were able to clear their names.

It was also gathered that both Ngwuta and Okoro had not been sitting since they were released after their arrest along with some other serving and compulsorily retired judges between October 7 and 8.

The source stated, “The CJN made it clear that the NJC could never have suspended the arrested judges in the absence of any evidence presented by their accusers.

“The CJN said the DSS, which levelled allegations against the judges, had not presented any evidence against them to the NJC on which any possibility of suspending them could be based.

“But he said the two affected Justices of the Supreme Court had, on their own, recused (withdrawn) themselves from sitting until when they are able to clear their names.

“The CJN made it clear that the two Justices of the Supreme Court were not on suspension.”