Judicial Service Commission in Nasarawa State has taken decisive action by suspending Chief Magistrate Vincent W. Gwahemba amid allegations of bribery and abuse of power.
In an official communication dated January 30, 2024, Chief Magistrate Gwahemba was given 24 hours to respond to the charges leveled against him.
The suspension, effective immediately, will remain in place pending a thorough investigation into the alleged misconduct.
Gwahemba is required to appear before the Judicial Commission on a date to be communicated, providing his side of the story concerning the accusations.
The allegations, detailed in complaint number S/JSC/AD/OFF/12/VOL. XV/XXX, were brought forward by senior lawyer J.S. Okutepa, SAN.
The complaint, addressed to the Chief Registrar of the state’s High Court of Justice, accuses Gwahemba of gross misconduct, bias, and delivering a ruling that led to the unjustifiable detention of a suspect.
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This suspension echoes a similar incident in 2021 when the Judicial Service Commission in Nasarawa State took action against two senior officers. Chief Registrar Abdullahi Ahmed-Sani and Deputy Chief Registrar (Personnel) Edward Ali-Liman were suspended pending investigations into allegations of misconduct at that time.