Court restrains Kogi govt, Assembly from removing Chief Judge

Court restrains Kogi govt, Assembly from removing Chief Judge

Koton-Karfe division of the High Court of Kogi State has restrained the Yahaya Bello-led administration in Kogi State and the state House of Assembly from taking steps that would hinder the discharge of the duties of the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Nasiru Ajanah and his Chief Registrar, Yahaya, Adamu.

The order was obtained by the Chief Judge and the Chief Registrar, who approached the court, presided over by Justice Alaba Ajileye, in the wake of the purported plan by the Assembly to investigate them and the state judiciary, following a petition to the Assembly and Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Ayoade. The ex-parte application filed at the court by counsel to the two applicants, Yemi Muhammed, sought the court’s urgent intervention through three prayers: 

Request for an interim injunction restraining the defendants from threatening or interfering in the discharge of the duties of the applicants, request to restrain the defendants from taking cognisance of any report emanating from the ad-hoc committee set up by the state Assembly pending the determination of the substantive suit and  expedite action on the matter through accelerated hearing. Defendants in the matter are Kogi State House of Assembly; its Speaker, Matthew Kolawole; chairman of the ad hoc committee, Hassan Abdullahi; the governor and the Attorney-General of the state.