Controversial judge of the Federal High Court, Okon Abang has been transferred back to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja from Asaba, Delta state, where he was posted to two years ago.
A circular by the Chief Judge, Justice Adamu Abdu-Kafarati, dated January 21, 2019, said the new re-deployment should take effect from February 11.
According to the circular, Justic Abang will be replaced by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba in Asaba.
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The rest of the judges with new postings are Justice Babs Kuewumi, who is redeployed from Lagos to Ado-Ekiti; Justice Babatunde Quadri, from Abuja to Maiduguri; Justice Taiwo Taiwo, from Ado-Ekiti to Abuja; and Justice J. K Dagat from Maiduguri to Lagos.
The circular titled, ‘Further posting of judges’, added a note which read, “Hon. Justice B. O Kuewumi will resume in Ekiti on February 4, while all other judges affected by the transfer will resume in their division on February 11”.
Despite Justice Abang’s redeployment to Asaba in January 2017, the Chief Judge asked that he continues to hear some part-heard criminal cases in the Abuja division.
Some of the cases he continued to hear in Abuja included those of a former spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, a former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, and the late former Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh.
Some of Abang’s controversial decisions in the past include a judgement he delivered on June 27, 2016, which sacked Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State from office over alleged tax infractions.
Also, on June 29, 2016, Justice Abang gave a verdict that directed INEC to recognise Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim as PDP governorship candidate for the Ondo State governorship election that was held on November 26.
The verdict was however vacated by the Court of Appeal on November 23 for being “perverse and fraudulent”.