National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended seven senior judges arrested in October by the Department of Security Service (DSS) for alleged corruption.
The NJC had initially refused to suspend the judges despite public pressure, saying the allegations against them had not been substantiated.
However, it said the judges had voluntarily stepped down from court sittings.
This latest decision came after the council’s seventh meeting between Wednesday and Thursday.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by Soji Oye, NJC’s director of information, the decision was taken to avoid allowing persons under investigation to partake in presiding over judicial matters at the same time.
“Council also decided that Judicial Officers shall not be standing trial for alleged corruption related offences and be performing judicial functions at the same time,” according to the communiqué, noting, “Council however decided that it will ensure that Judicial Officers who are being investigated for alleged high profile criminal offences do not perform judicial functions until their cases are concluded.”
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