Nasarawa Chief Magistrate Suspended Over Bribery, Abuse of Power Allegations
Chief Magistrate Vincent W. Gwahemba of the Judicial Service Commission in Nasarawa State has been suspended due to allegations of bribery and abuse of power.
The suspension was conveyed through an official letter dated January 30, 2024, requiring Chief Magistrate Gwahemba to respond within 24 hours to the accusations made against him.
As per the communication, the suspension took immediate effect and would continue pending the investigation into the alleged misconduct.
Chief Magistrate Gwahemba is directed to appear before the Judicial Commission at a later date, which will be communicated to him, to provide his account regarding the allegations.
The allegations against Chief Magistrate Gwahemba, detailed in complaint number S/JSC/AD/OFF/12/VOL. XV/XXX, were filed by senior lawyer J.S. Okutepa, SAN.
The complaint, directed to the Chief Registrar of the state’s High Court of Justice, accuses Chief Magistrate Gwahemba of gross misconduct, bias, and delivering a ruling that resulted in the unjustified detention of a suspect.
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This suspension echoes a previous incident in 2021 when the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in Nasarawa State took action against two senior officers over misconduct allegations.
During that time, Abdullahi Ahmed-Sani, Chief Registrar of the High Court of Justice, and Edward Ali-Liman, Deputy Chief Registrar (Personnel), were suspended pending investigations into their conduct.
