The Special Committee on Judiciary Staff Verification Exercise has exposed monumental rot in Kogi State Judiciary, blaming the administrative department for improper documentation of members of staff records as fraud was revealed.

The report also revealed that names of dead members of staff and retirees were still appearing on the monthly payroll of both the judiciary and Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

Chairman of the committee, Ibrahim Alhassan, who disclosed this while submitting the report and recommendations to the Acting Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice Henry Adebola Olusiyi, at the premises of High Court of Justice in Lokoja, noted that some of the records from the administrative department were

“incongruent” and made the exercise more tedious than expected.

He lamented that some top officials of the judiciary and the JSC, who had since taken their oath of office and assumed office, did not have clear records of their employment in the administrative department.

According to him, the fate of numerous members of staff who obtained employment through the back-door hangs in the balance as they await the report of the committee, which came in two volumes.

Alhassan noted that aside that the exercise took place at the headquarters, the committee also visited 39 directorates to carry out the verification exercise.

In his remarks, the Acting Chief Judge expressed gratitude to members of the special verification committee for a thorough job.

Justice Olusiyi assured the committee that the report and recommendations would be thoroughly perused and carried out to the letter, adding that it is very important to up the nominal roll and know the exact monthly wage bill.

“It is very essential to know those who are working with you. You must know those who are receiving salaries. Judiciary as an arm of government must be a role model organisation, which must set the pace. There must be adherence to all rules.

“This is appalling that people who do not come to work are receiving alert every month. Without fear or favour, we will purse these revelations to a logical conclusion and bring the perpetrators to book,” the Acting CJ said.

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