By Awwal Umar Kontagora Forty-four applicants have applied for the position of High Court Judge in the Niger State Judiciary, The Eagle Ey...
By Awwal Umar Kontagora
Forty-four applicants have applied for the position of High Court Judge in the Niger State Judiciary, The Eagle Eye has reliably gathered.
The majority of the applicants are serving Directors within the State Judiciary, along with several Chief Magistrates and two Deputy Chief Registrars. Additionally, four public legal practitioners from the Niger State Ministry of Justice and one private legal practitioner are vying for the positions.
Among the notable applicants from the Niger State Judiciary are Hajiya Amina Lamunde Musa, the Chief Registrar of the High Court Division; Hajiya Maryam Daso Jibo, Deputy Chief Registrar of Administration; and Alhaji Hassan Mohammed, Deputy Chief Registrar in charge of Magistrates, among other senior officers.
Sources confirm that the applicants have already been invited for security screening by the Niger State Command of the Department of Security Service (DSS) to verify their credentials.
Out of the forty-four applicants, twenty-two have been shortlisted for DSS screening. From this pool, a select number will be further vetted, with the remaining forwarded to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for the final phase of screening.
It has been reliably gathered that only four vacancies are available in the Niger State High Courts. Currently, four High Courts in Kuta, Lapai, Kutigi, and Minna are without presiding judges. Notably, the High Courts in Lapai and Kuta are being overseen by Justice Danladi Ahmed Badeggi of the Suleja High Court, while the Kuta court is also being managed by Justice Isaac Kolo of the New Bussa High Court. Additionally, the High Court in Rijau has been relocated to Kontagora but remains without a presiding judge or an overseer.
The Chief Judge of Niger State, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik, had earlier requested the Governor’s approval for the appointment of four new High Court judges during the 2023 Legal Year. She made the request to Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago, urging for the approval to fill the vacancies through the NJC.
"Your Excellency, I request your approval for the appointment of four additional High Court Judges by the National Judicial Council (NJC)," she stated during the 2023 Legal Year event.
Presently, Niger State has 13 High Courts—seven in Minna, three in Suleja, and one each in Bida, New Bussa, and Kontagora.
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