Benue State Assembly approves removal of Chief Judge Ikpambese, suspends 13 members

From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

Members of the Benue State House of Assembly, on Tuesday, approved the immediate removal of the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese over allegations of gross misappropriation of funds amongst other allegations.

The Chief Judge is also accused of abuse of office by issuing a directive to overturn the Benue State Electoral Law duly passed by the Benue State House of Assembly and assented to by the Governor of the state.

The house took the decision after a letter by the state Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, was read on the floor of the House by the Majority Leader Saater Tiseer. Governor Alia had alleged misappropriation and mismanagement of the Budgetary Allocation and Finances of the Benue State Judiciary by the Chief Judge.

He also named his engagements with politicians and political office holders for favourable judicial outcomes, indirect participation and incitement of industrial actions against the state executive, acts of bribery and corruption as well as undue favouritism and dire insistence on cronies holding unmerited judicial positions.

The letter read, “Mr. Speaker, since his emergence as the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese spends way beyond the budgetary allocation of the judiciary. Similarly, he has not, by the string of any imagination rendered account of expenditures from the state judiciary.

“There is a huge discrepancy in the financial figures under his watch from our findings. We shall consider this ground on financial infractions from the Benue State High Court, the Customary Court of Appeal and the Benue State Judicial Service Commission

“Available records secured from remittances from the Accountant- General to High Court of Justice from January to December, 2024 and Bank Statements from High Court of Justice covering Zenith Bank, First Bank, Fidelity Bank and Unity Bank indicate convincingly that Justice M.A. Ikpambese over spent the 2024 budget on International Travels,& Training and Renovation of office buildings to the tune of N666,984,687.20 which contravened sections 0206, 0632 and 0635 of the Financial Instructions (FI)”

The Governor therefore prayed the house to forthwith, make the necessary recommendations for the removal of Honourable Justice Maurice Ikpambese as the Chief Judge of Benue State in line with Section 292(1)(a)(II) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended) while directing the forwarding of a complaint to the National Judicial Council so as to carry out an honest, independent, hitch-free, transparent and diligent investigation into these allegations, especially as they relate to the abuse of his office as Judicial Officer demonstrated by his confrontational disregard for the laws enacted by the state legislature and the financial infractions against him pending the recommendation of the National Judicial Council as provided in Section 292(1)(b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended).

He also urged the House to recommend for immediate swearing in of the next-in-line Judicial Officer within the state as the Acting Chief Judge of Benue State.

In his ruling, the Speaker, Hon Hyacinth Dajo asked the clerk of the house to divide the House during which 23 members voted for the removal of the Chief Judge.

Dajoh said, “the Chief Judge stand removed and the next in line should be sworn in immediately as acting Chief Judge of the State.

Meanwhile the House has suspended 13 members for three months for indulging in what the Speaker termed as “Dishonourable actions capable of casting aspersions and causing acrimony in the House”.

The suspended members are to return the funds paid to them for foreign trip to government coffers, since they will no longer be embarking on the journey.

The House also condemned in the strongest terms the dishonorable actions of the member representing Makurdi South Constituency, Mr. Douglas Akya, and Twelve others, some of whom after voting for the removal of the State Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambase, went out to address a Press Conference denying voting in favor of the motion to remove the Judge.

The Speaker of the House, Chief Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh listed those suspended to include, Mr. Douglas Akya (Makurdi South), Mr. Jonathan Agbidye (Katsina-Ala East), Mrs. Beckie Orpin (Gboko East), Mr. Simon Gabo (Ushongo-Mata), Mr. Williams Ortyom (Agasha), Mr. Onah Blessed (Oju 1) and Mr. Elias Audu (Gwer East).

Others are Mr. Anyor Mato (Kwande East), Mr. Manger Manger (Tarka), Mr. Solomon Gyila (Gwer West), Mr. Samuel Agada (Ogbadibo), Mr. Abraham Jabi (Buruku) and Mr. Ezra Nyiyongo (Ukum).

Earlier in a motion, the Majority Leader, Comr. Saater Tiseer recalled that they had in the last sitting received a Complaint from the Attorney-General detailing allegations of gross misconduct, abuse of office, bribery and corruption, and other sundry allegations against the embattled Chief Judge and after exhaustive deliberation the House went into a division where 23 members out of 31 present voted in support of the recommendation to remove the Judge.

Mr. Tiseer disclosed that after the House adopted resolutions on the matter, the Thirteen suspended members, some of which voted in support of the recommendation to remove Justice Ikpambase, publicly dissociated themselves from the process in which they took part, thereby contravening Order IX, Rule 58(6) of the House Standing Rules.

The Majority Leader noted that the actions of the Thirteen members were not only dishonorable but an afterthought and a deceptive posture capable of causing acrimony and casting aspersions on the House and, among other prayers, called on the House to suspend them for a period of three Months.