Borno Sacks Sharia Judge

Borno Sacks Sharia Judge Over Graft

Gov. Kashim Shettima 

 

The Borno State Judicial Service Commission, known by the acronym JSC, announced the sacking of a judge of an Upper Sharia Court in the state over his corrupt practices.
The JSC, through a statement signed by its secretary, Baba Goni Adam, said it took the decision to retire the Sharia Court judge having found him, quote, “guilty of abetting a criminal sale of land,” in his court.
“The Borno State JSC considered the report of the JPCC, which investigated a petition against Alkali Goni Mukhtar, an Upper Sharia Court Judge.
“The Commission accepted the report that the judge used his office to engage in a land transaction unbecoming of the office of a judge. For this misconduct, the JSC has retired Alkali Goni Mukhtar, effective immediately from the 11th say of June, 2014,” the statement read.
The investigation recalled that a Bujio Mustepha Magumeri had petitioned the Chief Judge of Borno, Justice Kashim Zanna, on the 2nd of June. That petition alleged a “shady deal in the sale of a land in a disputed case brought against this court.”
The petition was titled, “Complaint against the activities of Gamboru Sharia Court Judge, Alkali Goni Mukhtar, and addressed to the office of the Chief Judge of Borno State. It accused the now sacked judge of involvement in illicit acts that shortchanged ‘real owners of a land in dispute, when it was brought to his court. The Chief Judge of the state had on June 3rd, referred the case to the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee, or the JPCC, whose duty it is to handle such complaints.
The investigative committee, after a thorough investigation that lasted about four hours, found the accused judge guilty, and thereafter, had recommended to the Judicial Service Commission for his sacking. It was also learned that the judge was called to the JSC to defend himself of the allegations leveled against him. However, he was said to have pleaded for “leniency,” a plea that was reportedly considered as an admittance of his guilt. He was retired short afterwards with little fanfare.