Nigerian Judge in trouble for Jailing Litigants, Imposing ₦300,000 Fines
The National Judicial Council has suspended a Rivers State High Court judge, Justice Sobere Biambo, for one year without pay after finding him culpable of ordering the arrest of litigants and imposing N300,000 fines on each of them without following due process.
Justice Biambo was also barred from being nominated for promotion to a higher court for three years.
The decision was taken at the Council’s 112th meeting on November 3, 2026, presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.
The NJC, in a statement released on November 4, said the disciplinary action followed the consideration of nine investigation reports on petitions filed against judicial officers.
Explaining the allegations against Justice Biambo, the Council said its Investigation Committee discovered that he ordered the arrest of petitioners over alleged disobedience to an interim injunction in a civil dispute.
The judge subsequently imposed a fine of N300,000 on each of the affected litigants.
However, the committee found that the judge failed to institute contempt proceedings and did not serve the petitioners with Forms 48 and 49, which are mandatory legal notices in contempt proceedings.
It further explained that since the alleged contempt was committed outside the court’s presence, the judge could not lawfully subject the petitioners to summary trial and punishment.
Based on these findings, the NJC approved the recommendation for his one-year suspension without pay and a three-year restriction on his eligibility for elevation.
The Council noted that the action formed part of broader disciplinary measures taken against judicial officers following investigations into complaints concerning their conduct.
