Justice Tanko Mohammed has resigned from his position as the Chief Justice of Nigeria on in a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari.
President Buhari swore in Mohammed as the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria in January 2019 following the suspension and later sack of former CJN Walter Onnoghen.
The Special Assistant of the Chief Justice on Media, Isah Ahuraka, also confirmed his resignation to Maidawaarewa on Monday.
Mohammed’s resignation comes amid the corruption allegations leveled against him by some Supreme Court judges.
Fourteen Supreme Court judges in a protest memo accused Mohammed of not giving justices their legitimate entitlements.
The justices said their annual foreign training, meant to enhance capacity building for the country’s judicial process, had been blocked by Muhammad.
The main issues put forward by the justices in their letter through a welfare committee were; non-replacement of poor vehicles; accommodation problem; lack of drugs at the Supreme Court clinic; epileptic electricity supply to the Supreme Court; increase in electricity tariff; no increase in the allowances for diesel; lack of internet services to residences and chambers.
In response, Mohammed told the judges that the Supreme Court was cash-strapped and cannot grant their requests.
CJN noted that the Supreme Court, like any other establishment in the country, has been hit by a devastating economic crunch.
As a result, he said the leadership of the court under him could no longer meet some of its obligations to Justices, especially in the area of welfare.
He, however said that the memo sent to him by the aggrieved Justices, notwithstanding, there is no rift between him and Justices of the apex court.
Buhari Swears In Olukayode Ariwoola As Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria
In the same vain, President Muhammadu Buhari has Swears in Justice Olukayode Ariwoola as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Been the next most senior judge to Justice Mohammed following Justice Mary Odili retirement on May 12 after attaining the retirement age of 70, Ariwoola was sworn in on Monday at the Council Chambers in Abuja.
Justice Ariwoola was born on the 22nd of August 1958 and is currently the most senior Justice of the Supreme Court.
He was formerly a Justice of the Court of Appeal and was elevated to the Supreme Court bench following his transfer from the State High Court of Oyo State.
Ariwoola started his educational career in his home town Iseyin at the Local Authority Demonstration School, Oluwole, in the Iseyin Local government of Oyo State between 1959 and 1967.
