--- title: "NJC suspends three judges for misconduct, bars two from promotion" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/njc-suspends-three-judges-for-misconduct-bars-two-from-promotion" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/njc-suspends-three-judges-for-misconduct-bars-two-from-promotion" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/njc-suspends-three-judges-for-misconduct-bars-two-from-promotion.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/njc-suspends-three-judges-for-misconduct-bars-two-from-promotion" category: "Politics" area: "Africa" published: "2026-11-05T09:25:09.936Z" source_reported: "2026-11-05T06:42:24.000Z" updated: "2026-11-05T09:25:09.936Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 70 hype_score: 20 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-11-05T09:00:13.848877+00:00" --- # NJC suspends three judges for misconduct, bars two from promotion *The National Judicial Council sanctioned judicial officers for unlawful detention, abuse of power, and procedural violations.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports and 11 digests corroborate the central claims, with specific details on judge suspensions and reasons. - Craft 70 of 100, higher is better. Reports clearly separate facts from comment, provide specific details on sanctions, and name affected parties. - Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. Headlines are direct and accurately reflect the content of the reports, with no sensationalism. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Three judges have been suspended for one year without pay by Nigeria's National Judicial Council (NJC). - Two of the suspended judges, Justice Hannatu Kabir and Justice Sobere Biambo, are barred from promotion for three years. - Justice Hannatu Kabir was suspended for unlawfully detaining a litigant for 58 days without proper contempt proceedings. - Grand Kadi Mohammed Salihu was suspended for reopening a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court. Nigeria's National Judicial Council (NJC) has suspended three judges for one year without pay following findings of misconduct. The council also cautioned eight other judicial officers. Two of the suspended judges face an additional three-year ban from nomination for elevation. The decisions were made at the NJC's 112th meeting on 3 November 2026, chaired by Chief Justice of Nigeria Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. ## Reasons for suspension Justice Hannatu Kabir of the Nasarawa State High Court was suspended for unlawfully detaining a litigant for 58 days. The NJC found she ordered the litigant's arrest and detention for alleged disobedience of court orders without initiating proper contempt proceedings or serving mandatory forms. This action violated the litigant's right to fair hearing, according to the investigation committee. Grand Kadi Mohammed Salihu of the Jigawa State Sharia Court of Appeal was suspended for reopening a judgment delivered by the FCT Upper Area Court. The NJC determined he exceeded his authority by constituting a committee to review the judgment and assigning it to another judge, which amounted to an appeal against a valid judgment. Justice Sobere Biambo of the Rivers State High Court was sanctioned for ordering the arrest of litigants and imposing fines of N300,000 each in a civil dispute without due process or proper contempt proceedings. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mentioned the NJC's recommendation of 28 candidates for various judicial appointments, a detail noted by allAfrica.tv in its full report. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 50% (3) - Centre: 50% (3) - Right: 0% (0) 7 of 13 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-11-05T09:00:13.848877+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 1 time; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-11-05T09:30:31.119Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports led with the suspension of three judges for misconduct. Punch Newspapers highlighted "unlawful detention, abuse of power" in its headline. Vanguard News used the phrase "Judicial Misconduct: NJC suspends 3 judges, places 6 on watchlist." Premium Times Nigeria's headline stated "NJC suspends three judges, warns seven others." These reports detailed the reasons for suspension, including unlawful detention, abuse of judicial powers, and disregard for due process. They also noted the additional sanctions of barring two judges from elevation for three years. ### Centre - The centre-rated reports also focused on the suspension of three judges for misconduct. allAfrica's headline read "Nigeria: NJC Suspends Three Judges, Warns Seven Others." Channels Television reported "NJC Suspends Three Judges, Cautions Eight Others Over Misconduct." Daily Post Nigeria's headline was "NJC suspends three judges for one year over misconduct, bars them from promotion." These reports specified the duration of the suspension (one year without pay) and mentioned the cautioning of other judicial officers. They also detailed the specific misconduct, such as unlawful detention of litigants and reopening of judgments. ### Right No separate framing summary. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 2 - high: 3 - unknown: 7 - veryHigh: 1 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [allAfrica](https://allafrica.com/stories/202611050098.html) — Nigeria: NJC Suspends Three Judges, Warns Seven Others - [newsypeople.com](https://newsypeople.com/news/njc-suspends-three-judges-for-one-year-over-misconduct-bars-them-from-promotion) — NJC suspends three judges for one year over misconduct, bars them from promotion - Newsy People - [The Podium Media](https://thepodiummedia.com/njc-suspends-three-judges-cautions-eight-others-over-misconduct) — NJC Suspends Three Judges, Cautions Eight Others over Misconduct - [Premium Times Nigeria](https://premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/922843-njc-suspends-three-judges-warns-seven-others.html) — NJC suspends three judges, warns seven others - [Daily Post Nigeria](https://dailypost.ng/2026/11/05/njc-suspends-three-judges-for-one-year-over-misconduct-bars-them-from-promotion) — NJC suspends three judges for one year over misconduct, bars them from promotion - [NewsTimes.com.ng](https://newstimes.com.ng/2026/11/three-judges-suspended-eight-others-cautioned-over-misconduct) — Three Judges Suspended, Eight Others Cautioned Over Misconduct - NewsTmes.com.ng - [Naija News - Nigeria News](https://naijanews.com/2026/11/05/full-list-national-judicial-council-suspends-judges-bars) — FULL LIST: National Judicial Council Suspends Judges, Bars Others From Promotion - [247ureports.com](https://247ureports.com/2026/11/njc-suspends-three-judges-cautions-eight-others-over-abuse-of-power-and-judicial-misconduct) — NJC Suspends Three Judges, Cautions Eight Others Over Abuse Of Power And Judicial Misconduct - [Vanguard News](https://vanguardngr.com/2026/11/judicial-misconduct-njc-suspends-3-judges-places-6-on-watchlist) — Judicial Misconduct: NJC suspends 3 judges, places 6 on watchlist - [Punch Newspapers](https://punchng.com/njc-suspends-three-judges-over-unlawful-detention-abuse-of-power) — NJC suspends three judges over unlawful detention, abuse of power - [tvcnews.tv](https://tvcnews.tv/njc-recommends-28-candidates-for-judicial-appointments) — NJC Recommends 28 Candidates For Judicial Appointments - [TheNigerialawyer](https://thenigerialawyer.com/njc-suspends-three-judges-for-one-year-without-pay-nasarawa-rivers-judges-jigawa-grand-kadi-sanctioned-over-misconduct) — “NJC Suspends Three Judges For One Year Without Pay” — Nasarawa, Rivers Judges, Jigawa Grand Kadi Sanctioned Over Misconduct - [Channels Television](https://channelstv.com/2026/11/04/njc-suspends-three-judges-cautions-eight-others-over-misconduct) — NJC Suspends Three Judges, Cautions Eight Others Over Misconduct ## Questions **Why were the three judges suspended?** The three judges were suspended for various acts of misconduct. Justice Hannatu Kabir was suspended for unlawfully detaining a litigant for 58 days. Grand Kadi Mohammed Salihu was suspended for reopening a judgment delivered by another court. Justice Sobere Biambo was sanctioned for ordering the arrest of litigants and imposing fines without proper contempt proceedings. **How long are the judges suspended for?** The three suspended judges will serve a one-year suspension without pay. Additionally, Justice Hannatu Kabir and Justice Sobere Biambo have been barred from nomination for elevation for three years. **Were any other judicial officers sanctioned?** Yes, the National Judicial Council also cautioned or warned seven to eight other judicial officers. Some of these officers were also placed on a watch list for six months. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/njc-suspends-three-judges-for-misconduct-bars-two-from-promotion. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "NJC suspends three judges for misconduct, bars two from promotion", https://mediabias.news/politics/njc-suspends-three-judges-for-misconduct-bars-two-from-promotion