A discreet investigation by TheNigeriaLawyer has uncovered troubling allegations of high-level financial mismanagement in the Imo State judiciary, centering on the former Chief Registrar of the High Court, who is alleged to have misappropriated between ₦15 million and ₦20 million monthly in judiciary funds.
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According to findings made available through internal documents, the funds—meant for judiciary imprests and statutory allowances, including those designated for the office of the Chief Judge—were reportedly diverted, even while the position of Chief Judge remained vacant.
The disclosures came to light during an emergency meeting of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), convened after the National Judicial Council (NJC) reversed the controversial appointment of Justice Nzukwu as Acting Chief Judge. Although only Justice Nzukwu was appointed to act in that capacity, the NJC issued queries to both Justices Nzukwu and V.C. Okorie. The latter was alleged to have presided over the meeting of the Imo State JSC that led to Justice Nzukwu’s appointment. At that meeting, the then-Attorney-General of Imo State, C.O.C. Akaolisa (now sacked), also alleged that judiciary funds had been misappropriated by the former Chief Registrar.
Akaolisa informed the Commission that the Acting Chief Judge had attempted to access judiciary accounts only to be told no funds were available—despite consistent releases from the state government. According to him, the monthly sum in question ranged between ₦15 million and ₦20 million.
In a further twist, he claimed that judiciary properties were being illegally removed from the Old High Court Complex on Orlu Road. An inquiry into the incident reportedly revealed that the former Chief Registrar had auctioned off court property without proper authorization.
Rather than escalate tensions, the JSC—acting on Akaolisa’s advice and in the face of increasing institutional unrest—chose to redeploy the accused Registrar to the magistracy as a Chief Magistrate Grade 1, and quietly replaced her as Chief Registrar.
However, sources within the judiciary now suggest that this decision may have been hasty and heavily influenced by the same Attorney-General whose role in other controversial decisions—including the judges’ age falsification probe and Acting CJ appointment—has come under intense scrutiny.
Significantly, TheNigeriaLawyer’s investigation also confirms that Akaolisa presided over the JSC meetings of July 19 and 30, 2024, where the probe into judges’ dates of birth was first initiated. Records sighted by TheNigerialawyer, indicate that he personally dictated what the Commission’s Secretary should record against each judge, suggesting a strong hand in orchestrating the probe—contrary to current public perceptions that blame the sitting JSC.
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Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
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