The National Judicial Council (NJC) has replaced a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, as the head of the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO).

The Director of Information of the NJC, Mr Soji Oye, said on Tuesday that Salami was replaced by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Suleiman Galadima.

Galadima replaces Ayo Salami, retired president of the court of appeal, who earlier rejected the appointment for personal reasons.

Mr Oye in the statement said Galadima and other members of the committee would be inaugurated at the Supreme Court by 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 1.

The statement read, “The National Judicial Council under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Honourable Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen, GCON, has picked a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Honourable Justice Mr Suleiman Galadima, CFR, as the new chairman of the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee,” the statement read.

“He is to replace Honourable Justice Mr Ayo Salami (retired) who excused himself from the committee as the chairman, after initially accepting to serve.

“The committee will be inaugurated tomorrow, Wednesday, November 1st, 2017 by Honourable Justice Mr Onnoghen, at the Council’s Conference Hall by 2:00 p.m.”

Honourable Justice Mr Galadima, CFR, was born October 1946 in Nasarawa State. He attended Government College Keffi where he obtained the West Africa School Certificate in 1965 before he proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Law in 1977 and was called to the Bar after he graduated from the Nigerian Law School in 1978.

“He later received a master’s degree in Law from the University of Jos in 1985.

He joined the Anambra State Judiciary as Magistrate on July 1988 and in 1990, he was appointed as Attorney General and the Commissioner for Justice, Plateau state. On May 1991, he became the High Court Judge of Plateau State. At the creation of Nasarawa State in 1996, he was appointed as its pioneer Chief Judge of the State.

“On December 9, 1998, he was appointed to the Court of Appeal and on August 2010, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“He retired on October 10, 2016, at the mandatory retirement age of 70 years.

Galadima is famous for his leading judgement in Shina Oketaolegun Vs. State, SC. 334A/2012, wherein he held that the Court of Appeal correctly reviewed the evidence led by both the prosecution and the defence in which he agreed that the evidence of one credible witness can justify the conviction.”

The newly set up Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee will be inaugurated tomorrow, November 1, 2017. (Channels TV)

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