The Kano State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has compulsorily retired a Sharia Court judge and a senior court official over allegations of bribery and certificate forgery, reaffirming its commitment to sanitising the state’s judiciary.
The commission also imposed sanctions on other judicial officers over various acts of misconduct following its 90th meeting held on July 3, 2026.
In a statement issued on Monday, the spokesperson for the Kano State Judiciary, Baba Jibo Ibrahim, said the decisions followed the consideration of reports submitted by the Judicial Public Complaints Committee on allegations against judges and court personnel.
According to the statement, Judge Aliyu Yahaya Muhammad of the Babeji Sharia Court was ordered to proceed on compulsory retirement after he was found guilty of receiving a N250,000 bribe in connection with Suit No. CV/474/2024 involving Talatu Ibrahim and Muntari Abubakar Baguda.
The commission also directed the judge to refund the N250,000.
Similarly, Ibrahim Ahmad Ibrahim, a registrar at the Babeji Sharia Court, was suspended without pay for four months after admitting to receiving part of the bribe.
In a separate case, the commission compulsorily retired the Acting Director of Public Relations and Statistics at the Sharia Court of Appeal, Muzambilu Ado, after finding that he falsified his academic credentials and secured employment into the judicial service through irregular means.
The commission also demoted Judge Usman Haruna Usman of the Goron Dutse Upper Sharia Court by one grade level for negligence after he permitted proceeds from the sale of property in a court case to be paid into a court employee’s account, resulting in the loss of litigants’ funds.
It upheld the judge’s earlier one-year suspension from judicial duties and issued him a strong warning.
Ibrahim said the disciplinary measures underscore the commission’s resolve to uphold integrity, professionalism and accountability in the administration of justice.
He warned that judicial officers and court personnel found guilty of corruption, misconduct or abuse of office would continue to face appropriate sanctions.
