The Kano State Judicial Service Commission has directed a Sharia court judge and the acting director of information and statistics, Shari’a Court of Appeal, to proceed on compulsory retirement with immediate effect.
This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Baba Jibo Ibrahim, the spokesperson for the Kano State Judiciary.
The two affected officers were found guilty of bribery and corruption by the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee.
“The Kano State Judicial Service Commission, at its 90th meeting held on 3rd July, 2026, under the chairmanship of the chief judge of Kano State, considered reports and recommendations of the Establishment Committee and the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee on petitions and disciplinary matters involving Sharia Court judges and staff of the Kano State Judiciary.
“After careful deliberation, the Commission approved a number of disciplinary measures in line with its constitutional mandate to uphold integrity, accountability, and public confidence in the administration of justice,” the statement partly read.
According to the statement, the commission directed Presiding Judge, Shari’a Court, Babeji, Aliyu Muhammad, to proceed on compulsory retirement after the JPCC established allegations of bribery and corruption against him in connection with Suit No. CV/474/2024 between Talatu Ibrahim and Muntari Abubakar Baguda.
The commission also directed the judge to refund the sum of ₦250,000 received as gratification.
The commission further approved the suspension without pay for four months of court clerk, Shari’a Court, Babeji, Ibrahim Ibrahim, after he admitted receiving part of the money collected as a bribe in the above-mentioned case.
The commission also directed Acting Director of Information and Statistics, Shari’a Court of Appeal, Muzambilu Ado, to proceed on compulsory retirement with immediate effect after the Establishment Committee established serious irregularities in his academic credentials, including the alteration of his academic records and irregular admission into the Nigerian Law School without the approval of the commission.
Similarly, the commission approved the demotion by one grade level of Presiding Judge, Upper Shari’a Court, Goron Dutse, Usman Haruna Usman, for negligence in permitting the proceeds from the sale of estate property to be paid into the personal account of a court official, thereby exposing litigants’ funds to possible misappropriation.
The commission further ratified his earlier recall from judicial duties for one year and issued him a strong warning.
In the same vein, the commission considered the report of the JPCC concerning the handling of bail in Case No. CR/172/2022 between the Commissioner of Police and Muhammad Kadawa and issued a strong warning to Presiding Judge, Upper Shari’a Court, Kasuwa, Abdullahi Wayya, for negligence in supervising the bail process, which resulted in the release of the defendant without proper verification of the title documents submitted as a bail bond.
The commission also directed that Inspector Shehu Adamu be reported to the Commissioner of Police, Kano State, for investigation and appropriate disciplinary action after he was found to have misled the court into releasing the defendant on bail by assuring the court that all bail conditions had been fulfilled.
The commission further directed the JPCC to conduct a thorough investigation into the conduct of Registrar, Records, Salmanu Zubairu, and Finance Registrar, Ahmad Kabir, regarding their roles in the handling of the bail documents in the same matter.
