Federal High Court Reshuffles: Justice Ekwo Suspended, Tsoho Named Chief Judge

In a significant shake-up within Nigeria’s judiciary, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court for one year. Justice John Tsoho has been appointed as the new Chief Judge (CJ), while Justice M. G. Umar, formerly of the Enugu judicial division, will now preside over Justice Ekwo’s courtroom.

Alongside the suspension, four other judges have been reassigned to new divisions:

• Justice Amina Aliyu Mohammed – Awka ➝ Gombe

• Justice Bala Khalifa-Mohammed Usman – Yola ➝ Awka

• Justice Tijjani Garba Ringim – Gombe ➝ Yola

• Justice M. T. Segun-Bello – Abakaliki ➝ Enugu

• Justice M. G. Umar – Enugu ➝ Abuja

According to a statement released on Sunday by Dr. Catherine Oby Christopher, Director of Information, these judicial redeployments take immediate effect.

The affected judges have been directed to conclude all outstanding judgments in their former jurisdictions as soon as possible.

In the meantime:

• Judges residing in the Abakaliki and Katsina divisions will handle new and pending matters in their respective courts.

• Justice M. G. Umar will oversee Court No. 5 in Abuja, inheriting all pending cases from the suspended Justice Ekwo.

The Chief Judge further clarified that lawyers and litigants do not need to request case reassignment for matters that were previously pending before Justice Ekwo, as they will now fall under Justice Umar’s jurisdiction automatically.

Notably, the Chief Judge provided no official reason for the suspension of Justice Ekwo in the public statement, a move that has sparked widespread speculation within legal circles.