The National Judicial Council (NJC) has advised the family of late General Ibrahim Sabo, a former Director of Military Intelligence, to direct their petition against Upper Sharia Court Judge, Ado Ahmed Mukhtar, to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Judicial Service Committee.
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The NJC’s directive was conveyed in a letter signed by its Secretary, Ahmed Gambo Saleh, on behalf of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. The Council explained that the issues raised by the family fall outside its constitutional mandate and lie within the purview of the State Judicial Service Commission.
“You are therefore advised to address your petition to the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, who is the Chairman of the FCT Judicial Service Committee,” the NJC stated.
The Sabo family, in a letter dated March 12, 2025, had accused Judge Mukhtar of attempting to sell their late father’s property located in Wuse 2, Abuja, to settle claims brought by the widow of one of their deceased siblings and her son.
According to the family, the woman filed a petition at the Upper Sharia Court demanding N22 million for herself and N170 million for her son based on their calculated share of the property. The judge, in a ruling on February 26, 2025, reportedly ordered the family to pay the widow N22 million, and declared that the boy would be entitled to N170 million when he comes of age.
However, the family alleged that while they were in the process of raising the initial N22 million, the judge abruptly demanded the full N170 million within two hours or threatened to auction the property on July 7.
In a separate letter to the Chief Judge of the FCT, signed by Ahmed Ibrahim Sabo, the family claimed they were denied access to the court’s proceedings to enable them file an appeal. They noted that a motion for leave to appeal out of time has already been filed before the Sharia Court of Appeal, which is set to hear the matter on July 16.
“Shockingly, the registrar called and summoned us to the judge’s chambers. Our lawyer met with him and was instructed to pay the N22 million by Friday, July 4. We complied and requested bank details to make the payment, but the court refused to release the account information,” the letter read.
“Instead, the judge insisted that we produce an additional N170 million within two hours or face the sale of the property,” it added.
The family accused Judge Mukhtar of judicial overreach, saying his actions amount to executing a judgment on a matter pending before a higher court.
“We call on the Chief Judge of the FCT, Hon. Justice Husseini Baba Yusuf, to urgently intervene and stop this brazen injustice and judicial corruption. Why can’t the judge await the outcome of the appeal?” they asked.
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