The National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended Justice Hannatu Mohammed Kabir of the Nasarawa State High Court for one yr with out pay for ordering the arrest and detention of a litigant for 58 days with out complying with the prescribed procedures for contempt proceedings.
The Council additionally barred the decide from being thought of for elevation to the next court docket for 3 years.
The sanctions had been authorised on the NJC’s 112th assembly held on November 3, 2026, underneath the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
In an announcement issued on Wednesday, November 4, by its Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, the Council mentioned it reviewed 9 investigation studies regarding petitions in opposition to judicial officers over their conduct in varied instances.
On Justice Kabir, the NJC mentioned its Investigation Committee established that she ordered the arrest and detention of a litigant over alleged disobedience of court docket orders with out issuing and serving the obligatory Forms 48 and 49 or commencing the suitable contempt proceedings.
The committee additionally decided that the alleged contempt was dedicated exterior the decide’s presence, making abstract trial and punishment illegal.
It additional concluded that the decide’s motion breached the litigant’s proper to truthful listening to.
“The Investigation Committee discovered that she ordered the litigant’s arrest and detention for alleged disobedience of court docket orders with out the issuance and repair of the obligatory Forms 48 and 49 or the establishment of correct contempt proceedings.
“It held that the alleged contempt occurred outside the court’s presence and could not lawfully be summarily tried and punished. The Committee also found that the action violated the litigant’s right to fair hearing,” the assertion mentioned.
Following the findings, the NJC adopted the committee’s advice to droop Justice Kabir with out pay for one yr and forestall her nomination for elevation for 3 years.
Forms 48 and 49 are statutory notices required in contempt proceedings. They inform an alleged offender of the disobedience of a court docket order and warn of the implications of failing to conform.
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