A Federal High Court in Abuja has awarded ₦100 million in costs against the National Welfare Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nkemakolam Ukandu, for filing what the court described as a frivolous suit against judicial officers.
Justice Salim Ibrahim struck out the suit marked ABJ/CS/1165/2026 for want of diligent prosecution, following repeated failure by the plaintiff and his counsel to appear in court.
Ukandu had filed the action against the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, and another judge, Justice Peter Lifu, as well as the National Judicial Council (NJC), alleging bias, corruption, and disobedience to court orders.
He had sought, among other reliefs, an order compelling the NJC to investigate alleged misconduct and abuse of judicial powers by the judges named in the suit.
However, the case suffered repeated adjournments due to absence of the plaintiff and his lawyer. The court had earlier warned on June 30 that the matter risked dismissal if the parties failed to appear.
On Monday, neither the plaintiff nor his counsel was present in court, prompting Justice Ibrahim to strike out the suit and award substantial costs of ₦100 million against Ukandu following an oral application by the defendants’ counsel, James Igwe (SAN).
The ruling underscores the court’s position against abuse of judicial processes and filing of unsubstantiated or abandoned claims.
