The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja this morning, discharged and acquitted former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, overturning the charges that led to his removal from office in 2019.
Justice Onnoghen’s suspension took place on January 25, 2019, just 29 days before the presidential election, under the directive of then-President Muhammadu Buhari.
The sudden move, which saw Justice Tanko Muhammad appointed as acting CJN, occurred only hours after Onnoghen had announced plans to inaugurate judges for election petition tribunals.
The decision to suspend Onnoghen sparked widespread reactions. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) notably condemned the action, characterizing it as an assault on the judiciary. Following his suspension, Onnoghen was convicted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on a six-count charge related to false asset declaration, which led to the seizure of his assets.
However, nearly six years after his conviction, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Mohammed Bello, acquitted the former CJN. This decision followed a settlement agreement reached between Onnoghen and the federal government.
President Bola Tinubu, through the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, urged the appellate court to discontinue further hearings on three separate appeals that Onnoghen had filed challenging his removal, conviction, and asset seizure.
As part of the settlement, dated October 24, the Court of Appeal directed the federal government to unfreeze Onnoghen’s account with Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited.
