CJN comes down hard on invited judges over ex-parte orders

The Chief Justice of Nigeria today had a one -on -one meeting with the seven invite Judges over conflicting exparte orders.

The CJ who met with the CJN are Chief Judge, FCT, Abuja, Chief Judge Rivers State, Chief Judge Kebbi State, Chief Judge Cross River State, Chief Judge Jigawa State ,Chief Judge, Anambra State and Chief Judge Imo State.

Each of the CJs was separately quizzed personally by the CJN for over an hour, before later reading a riot act in a joint session with them.

The CJN who was reported to be visibly angry noted that a damage to one jurisdiction is a damage to all, stressing the need to end the indiscriminate granting of exparte orders, conflicting judgements or rulings occasioned by forum-shopping.

He stated that three of the Judges who granted conflicting exparte orders have been invited to appear before the National Judicial Council to show cause why disciplinary action should not be taken against them for granting the conflicting exparte orders.

Chief Judges were urged to henceforth avoid unnecessary assumption of jurisdiction in matters with similar subject and parties already before another court, protect the court from lawyers that are out for forum shopping and work in tandem with all their Judges to salvage the image of the Judiciary.