Niger Sacks 27 Judicial Workers For Certificate Racketeering

Following the findings of a committee set up by Niger State government to verify the certificate of the state civil servants, 25 staff of the state judiciary have been dismissed by the Judicial Service Commission (NJSC) for certificate forgery.

Similarly, a shariah court judge and his court registrar have been sacked by the commission for their alleged involvement in diversion of inheritance estate.

LEADERSHIP findings revealed that the shariah court judge and the registrar were alleged to have diverted the sum of N400million belonging to a popular family on which they were appointed as administrator.

It was learnt that the money was from the sales of the family’s estates in Abuja and Minna which was ordered to be sold by them through the court and the money was to be shared by the heirs of the deceased head of the family.

Confirming this to LEADERSHIP, the secretary of the commission, Abdulraman Ahmed Garafini said the family had petitioned against the sharia court judge and the registrar to the office of the Grand Khadi who forwarded same to the NJSC for determination and the duo were found wanting and dismissed.

He said upon the receipt of the petition, the commission wasted no time as it constituted a seven-man committee headed by Justice Balkisu Gambo Yusuf to investigate the allegations raised in the petition and the commission found them wanting.

On the staff of the judiciary involved in alleged certificate racketeering and forgery Garafini, disclosed that 25 staff were dismissed after the commission considered their case based on the findings of the state’s staff verification committee.

He said the Engineer Ibrahim Panti Committee on Staff Verification set up by Niger State governor Abubakar Sani Bello some time last year discovered that their certificates were forged and the committee recommended their dismissal from the service.

The secretary of the commission said the NJSC forwarded the certificates to the schools they claimed to have attended, “and it was discovered that the certificates were forged”.

It was learnt that those involved were mostly junior and intermediate staff supporting the various judicial works on whom the NJSC has control over.