The National Judicial Council (NJC) has approved the suspension of Justice Hannatu Mohammed Kabir of the Nasarawa State High Court for one year without pay over the unlawful arrest and detention of a litigant for 58 days without following the legally prescribed procedures for contempt proceedings.
The Council also barred the judge from being nominated for elevation to a higher court for three years, following findings that her actions violated the litigant’s fundamental right to fair hearing.
The disciplinary decision was reached at the NJC’s 112th meeting held on November 3, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, November 4, by the Council’s Deputy Director of Information, Kemi Babalola-Ogedengbe, the NJC disclosed that it considered nine investigation reports concerning petitions against judicial officers over their handling of various cases.
According to the NJC, its Investigation Committee established that Justice Kabir ordered the arrest and detention of a litigant over alleged disobedience of court orders without issuing and serving the mandatory Forms 48 and 49 or instituting proper contempt proceedings.
The Council explained that the alleged contempt occurred outside the judge’s presence and, therefore, could not lawfully be dealt with through summary trial and punishment.
In its findings, the NJC stated: “The Investigation Committee found that she ordered the litigant’s arrest and detention for alleged disobedience of court orders without the issuance and service of the mandatory Forms 48 and 49 or the institution of proper contempt proceedings.”
It further stated; “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 findings formed the basis for the Council’s decision to approve a one-year suspension without salary and a three-year restriction on the judge’s elevation.
Justice Kabir was among three judicial officers suspended for one year without pay following the Council’s review of disciplinary cases.
Others were Grand Kadi Mohammed Sani Salihu of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal and Justice Sobere Biambo of the Rivers State High Court.
The Grand Kadi was suspended over his involvement in reopening a judgment previously delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court.
The NJC found that he exceeded his authority by constituting a committee to review the judgment and subsequently assigning the matter to another judge, who received fresh evidence and delivered a new judgment.
The Council held that the process amounted to an appeal against a valid judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, which was subsequently set aside by the Jigawa State High Court.
Justice Biambo was also suspended for one year without pay and barred from elevation for three years over the issuance of bench warrants and imposition of fines on litigants in a civil dispute without due process.
The investigation found that he ordered the arrest of litigants over alleged disobedience of an interim injunction and imposed fines of ₦300,000 on each without instituting contempt proceedings or serving the mandatory Forms 48 and 49.
