FG, Ex-CJN Onnoghen Approved for Out-of-Court Settlement

The FG and ex-CJN Onnoghen have received approval to settle their case out of court. Find out more about the legal dispute and resolution process.

On Thursday, the Federal Government and former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Samuel Nkanu Walter Onnoghen, had their request granted by the Court of Appeal in Abuja to resolve an appeal which contests his removal as CJN through a settlement out of court.

Based on the information that the two parties have increased their efforts to come to a mutually agreeable resolution of all contentious matters, the court made its decision.

Onnoghen was removed as the Chief Justice of Nigeria by Former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 while facing a charge at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

During the appeal hearing on Thursday, Dr. Ogwu James Onoja, lead counsel for the former CJN, informed a panel of three justices from the Appeal Court that both parties are currently engaged in discussions to amicably resolve their dispute.

Onoja notified the court that there was an agreement between the parties until Wednesday, September 18 and conveyed positivity about the potential success of their discussion.

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The senior attorney subsequently requested a one-month adjournment to the appellate court for the ultimate resolution of the issue.

The submission of Onoja was confirmed by Tijani Gazali, a lawyer representing the federal government. He further suggested that the case should proceed for a potential mutually agreeable resolution.

He said, “Your Honors, I humbly confirm the information and state that we intend to resolve this matter without involving the court.”

During Thursday’s proceedings, Justice J. O. Oyewole presided and instructed them to file an agreement for adoption upon reaching a settlement in brief remarks.

It was ruled by Justice Oyewole that the settlement conditions need to be recorded and submitted prior to the rescheduled court date in order for it to become an official ruling.

Afterwards, he designated November 4 as the date for both parties to return.

In 2019, Onnoghen faced prosecution by the federal government for making false declarations of assets at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. After being found guilty, he was dismissed from his post.

In addition, he was compelled to surrender the unreported assets to the federal government.

Onnoghen did not attend the court session for his appeal on August 20. He is appealing to the Court to nullify CCT’s ruling that dismissed him from office and required the surrender of his five bank accounts.