By Sadiq Abdulfatah

The Kano State Judicial Service Commission has ordered the compulsory retirement of a Sharia Court judge and the Acting Director of Information and Statistics at the Sharia Court of Appeal over separate cases of misconduct.

The commission announced the decision in a statement issued on Tuesday by the spokesperson for the Kano State Judiciary, Baba Jibo Ibrahim.

According to the statement, the disciplinary actions were approved at the commission’s 90th meeting held on July 3, 2026, after it considered reports from the Establishment Committee and the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee on petitions involving Sharia Court judges and other judiciary staff.

The commission said the affected officers were found to have engaged in misconduct, including bribery, corruption and irregularities in official records.

Presiding Judge of the Sharia Court in Babeji, Aliyu Muhammad, was directed to proceed on compulsory retirement after the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee found him guilty of bribery and corruption in connection with a court case between Talatu Ibrahim and Muntari Abubakar Baguda.

The commission also ordered the judge to refund ₦250,000, which it said he received as gratification.

Court Clerk of the Sharia Court in Babeji, Ibrahim Ibrahim, was suspended without pay for four months after admitting to receiving part of the money collected as a bribe in the same case.

The commission also directed the Acting Director of Information and Statistics at the Sharia Court of Appeal, Muzambilu Ado, to proceed on compulsory retirement after investigations revealed irregularities in his academic records, including the alteration of documents and irregular admission into the Nigerian Law School without the commission’s approval.

In another decision, the commission demoted the Presiding Judge of the Upper Sharia Court, Goron Dutse, Usman Haruna Usman, by one grade level for negligence after allowing proceeds from the sale of estate property to be paid into the personal account of a court official, exposing the funds to possible misappropriation.

It also upheld his earlier one-year recall from judicial duties and issued him a strong warning.

The commission further issued a warning to the Presiding Judge of the Upper Sharia Court, Kasuwa, Abdullahi Wayya, over negligence in supervising the bail process in a criminal case, which led to the release of a defendant without proper verification of the bail documents.

It also directed that Inspector Shehu Adamu be reported to the Kano State Commissioner of Police for investigation after he was found to have misled the court by assuring it that all bail conditions had been met.

The commission further ordered an investigation into the roles of Registrar of Records, Salmanu Zubairu, and Finance Registrar, Ahmad Kabir, in the handling of the bail documents.

The Kano State Judicial Service Commission reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining discipline, professionalism and ethical standards within the judiciary. It warned that misconduct, corruption and abuse of office by judicial officers and court personnel would continue to attract appropriate sanctions.

Source: The Punch