“Contrived Falsehood”: Rivers JSC Says Ex-Magistrate Was Dismissed For Misconduct, Not Political Protest

The Rivers State Judiciary has refuted claims by retired Chief Magistrate Ejike King George that his departure from service was a voluntary resignation motivated by political concerns.

Instead, the judiciary clarified that George was compulsorily retired on February 10, 2025, for gross misconduct.

During a press briefing on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Chief Registrar David Ihua Maduenyi stated that George’s retirement followed the findings of a disciplinary panel constituted by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The panel investigated complaints that George was absent from duty without official leave from August 25, 2023, to December 2024. “The former Chief Magistrate was compulsorily retired from service for disciplinary reasons,” Maduenyi said, adding that the JSC approved the panel’s recommendation.

George had claimed in a letter dated April 11, 2025 addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge through the JSC Secretary that he resigned voluntarily due to his opposition to what he described as a “quasi-military administration” in Rivers State. He characterized the governance as “alien” and “antithetical” to judicial values. George, who served 16 of his 22 years in legal practice within the Rivers State Judiciary, argued that remaining in office would imply complicity with an undemocratic system.

Maduenyi dismissed the claims as a “contrived falsehood” intended to mislead the public and attract sympathy. “His attempt to link his removal to the prevailing political situation in the state is mischievous,” he said.

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