Chief Magistrate Suspended in Nasarawa Over Bribery, Abuse of Power Allegations

Chief Magistrate Vincent W. Gwahemba in Nasarawa State has been suspended by the Judicial Service Commission following allegations of bribery and abuse of power

The suspension was officially communicated through a letter dated January 30, 2024, requiring the magistrate to respond within 24 hours to the charges leveled against him.

According to the letter, the suspension took immediate effect and would remain in place pending the investigation into the misconduct charges.

The directive mandated Gwahemba to appear before the Judicial Commission at a later date, which will be communicated, to present his side of the story regarding the allegations

The charge against the chief magistrate, as outlined in complaint number S/JSC/AD/OFF/12/VOL. XV/XXX was lodged by senior lawyer J.S. Okutepa, SAN.

Addressed to the Chief Registrar of the state’s High Court of Justice, the complaint accuses Gwahemba of gross misconduct, bias, and delivering a ruling that resulted in the unjustified detention of a suspect.

This suspension evokes memories of a comparable incident in 2021 when the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in Nasarawa State acted against two senior officers following allegations of misconduct.

During that period, Abdullahi Ahmed-Sani, Chief Registrar of the High Court of Justice, and Edward Ali-Liman, Deputy Chief Registrar (Personnel), faced suspension pending investigations into their conduct

Kanyi Daily recalls that the Supreme Court reserved its judgment on Tuesday in the Peoples Democratic Party’s appeal against the appellate court’s decision to reinstate Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule.