Court Orders Two Kano Judges to Quit Membership of Ganduje Probe Panel or…Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano.

Justice Simon Amobeda, of the Federal High Court, sitting in Kano, has issued 48 hours deadline to two Kano Judges, Justice Zuwaira Yusuf and Justice Farouk Lawan Adamu, appointed by the Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, to resign their appointments with immediate effect or face the consequences.
The two judges served as Chairman of Judicial Commission of Inquiry for the Recovery of Misappropriated Public Properties and Assets, and Chairman of Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate Political Violence and Missing Persons in the state.

The presiding judge gave the order while delivering his judgment in the case instituted by the former governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, seeking the court to stop Yusuf from probing his administration.

Justice Amobeda said failure by the judges to comply with the 48-hours deadline, the National Judicial Council (1st Defendant) shall stop forthwith, the payment of any remuneration, allowances and benefits meant for judicial officers from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation to the Judges.
He said the judges should desist from performing executive functions assigned to them by the Governor of Kano State in Court rooms meant to adjudicate disputes between persons and authorities in Kano State.

Justice Amobeda further said the action by the Governor to set up the commission of inquiries to investigate Ganduje without appealing an earlier court judgment by Justice A. Liman declaring that Ganduje could only be investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), amounted to abuse of office and undermining the sanctity of the judiciary.

The court however, disagreed with the argument of the plaintiff’s counsel that the judges cease to be judicial officers by accepting to be members of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry.