The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Justice John Tsoho, has announced the replacement of Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Abuja Division, following his one-year suspension by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
In a statement released on Sunday by the Director of Information of the Court, Dr. Catherine Oby Christopher, it was disclosed that Justice M. G. Umar, formerly of the Enugu Division, has been moved to the Abuja Division to take over Justice Ekwo’s court, effective immediately.
No reason was given for the administrative decision, which also included the redeployment of four other judges to different divisions across the country.
The judges affected by the reshuffling include:
- Justice Tijjani Garba Ringim, moved from Gombe Division to Yola Division
- Justice M. T. Segun-Bello, redeployed from Abakaliki Division to Enugu Division
- Justice Bala Khalifa-Mohammed Usman, from Yola Division to Awka Division
- Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed, from Awka Division to Gombe Division
The statement emphasized that all affected judges are to deliver any pending judgments in their previous jurisdictions “within the shortest possible time.”
Furthermore, judges currently residing in the Abakaliki and Katsina Divisions have been instructed to assume responsibility for all existing and incoming cases in their respective courts until further notice.
In a related announcement, the public was informed that all matters previously assigned to Court No. 5 in the Abuja Division — formerly presided over by Justice Ekwo — will now be handled by the newly assigned judge, Justice Umar. The Chief Judge assured litigants and legal counsel that no application for case reassignment is necessary, as all pending matters will be automatically managed by the incoming judge.
This development comes amid efforts to maintain judicial efficiency and continuity within the Federal High Court system.
