BREAKING: CJN summons 6-state Chief Judges over conflicting court orders

By Ovasa Ogaga,

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Ibrahim Muhammad has summoned six-state Chief Judges following the spate of conflicting ex-parte orders been granted by courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

Those summoned are Chief Judges of Rivers, Kebbi, Cross River, Anambra, Jigawa and Imo states.

The CJN issued the summons on Monday in his capacity as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

By the summons, the affected Chief Judges are to first appear before CJN, preparatory to their appearance before the NJC to explain what informed the issuance of conflicting orders by courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

The CJN, it was learnt, frowned at the embarrassment caused Judiciary by the actions of the judges behind the conflicting ex-parte orders over cases on disputes in some political parties.

The media aide to the CJN, Ahuraka Yusuf Isah confirmed that Justice Muhammad did issue the summons in his capacity as the Chairman of the NJC.

It was gathered that the meeting between the CJN and the affected Heads of Courts would hold this week before their appearance before the NJC sometime next week.

The decision by CJN to issue the summons, it was learnt, was intended to halt what has become an embarrassment to the Judiciary in the past few weeks.

Part of the summons reads: “My attention has been drawn to media reports to the effect that some Courts of coordinate jurisdiction were granting conflicting ex-parte orders on the same subject matter.
“It has become expedient for me to invite you for a detailed briefing on the development.
“This is even more compelling having regard to earlier NJC Warning to judicial officers on the need to be circumspect in granting ex-parte applications.”