The Court of Appeal in Abuja has cleared former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, of the charges that led to his dismissal in 2019.
Onnoghen had been suspended by then-President Muhammadu Buhari on January 25, 2019, just weeks before the presidential election. Following the suspension, Justice Tanko Muhammad, the next most senior judge, was appointed as the new head of the judiciary.
This suspension came shortly after Onnoghen announced the inauguration of judges for election petition tribunals, creating significant controversy. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) condemned Buhari’s move, calling it a “coup against the judiciary.”
Onnoghen was later convicted by the Code of Conduct Tribunal on six charges related to corruption, with claims that he had filed false asset declarations with the Code of Conduct Bureau.
Nearly six years after this conviction, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal, led by Justice Mohammed Bello, reversed Onnoghen’s conviction, following a settlement reached with the federal government.
President Bola Tinubu, through the Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, had requested that the appellate court suspend proceedings on Onnoghen’s appeals challenging his removal, conviction, and the seizure of his assets.
Under the settlement agreement, signed on October 24, the appellate court instructed the federal government to immediately unfreeze Onnoghen’s bank account with Standard Chartered Bank Nigeria Limited. Justice Abba Bello Mohammed ordered that all four bank accounts previously seized be returned to Onnoghen.
Onnoghen’s legal team, Adegboyega Awomolo and Ogwu James Onoja, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria, expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and the Attorney General for their roles in reaching a resolution.