The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the immediate sack of Justice S. O. Falola, from the bench of the Osun State High Court, over acts of professional misconduct.
The decision to sack the judge was taken at the 104th meeting of the NJC held between December 6 and 7, 2023 and chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
A statement from NJC disclosed that the recommendation was made sequel to findings of an investigation committee in a petition written against the judge by Mr Dapo Kolapo Olowo and Polaris Bank.
In the petition, Justice Falola was said to have granted a Garnishee Order Absolute against the bank for the sum of N283,174,000.00 “in a questionable and strange manner”, in addition to endorsement of the order and attaching the account of the garnishee with another garnishee and not the account of the judgment debtor who had the legal obligation to pay the supposed judgment sum.
“They found that the subject judge misconducted himself by entertaining suit no HIK/41/2018 when there was no evidence of a judgment of the Kwara State High Court before him, neither was there a certificate of registration of same in Osun State to confer jurisdiction on him.
“It further found the conduct of the subject judge travelling to Lagos to visit the counsel of the bank in his chambers on the issue of garnishee proceedings, unbecoming of the standard expected of a judicial officer.
“Consequently, council resolved to recommend him to Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State for compulsory retirement with immediate effect,” the statement read in part.
