The Kano State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has compulsorily retired a Shari’a Court judge, Alkali Aliyu Yahaya Muhammad, after finding him culpable in a bribery case involving ₦250,000 received while presiding over a civil matter.
The disciplinary action was approved during the Commission’s 90th meeting held on July 3, 2026, under the chairmanship of the Chief Judge of Kano State.
The decision was made public in a statement issued by the Commission’s spokesperson, Baba Jibo Ibrahim, who disclosed that the judge, formerly in charge of the Shari’a Court in Babeji, accepted the gratification while handling a civil dispute.
In addition to ordering his compulsory retirement, the Commission directed Muhammad to refund the entire ₦250,000 collected.
A court clerk attached to the same court, Ibrahim Ahmad Ibrahim, was also sanctioned after admitting that he shared in the illicit payment.
He was suspended from duty without pay for four months.
The Commission also approved the compulsory retirement of Muzambilu Ado, the Acting Director of Information and Statistics at the Shari’a Court of Appeal, over discrepancies linked to his academic credentials and admission into the Nigerian Law School.
In another case, the Presiding Judge of the Upper Shari’a Court in Goron Dutse, Alkali Usman Haruna Usman, was demoted by one grade level for negligence after allowing proceeds from the sale of an estate to be paid into the personal bank account of a court official.
He was further issued a formal warning, while the Commission upheld its earlier decision withdrawing him from judicial responsibilities.
Similarly, Alkali Abdullahi Wayya of the Upper Shari’a Court in Kasuwa received a warning over inadequate supervision of a bail process that led to the wrongful release of a defendant.
The Commission also directed that Inspector Shehu Adamu be referred to the Commissioner of Police for investigation over allegations that he misled the court on bail conditions.
It further ordered additional investigations into the roles played by court registrars Salmanu Zubairu and Ahmad Kabir in the processing of the bail documents.
Meanwhile, the Commission reviewed the disciplinary case involving Hon. Alkali Umar Sunusi Danbaba and overturned its earlier decision recalling him from judicial duties.
According to the Commission, newly presented documents established that the Judiciary Public Complaints Committee had not recommended his recall. Consequently, Danbaba was reinstated to full judicial duties with all his salaries, allowances and other entitlements restored.
The Judicial Service Commission reaffirmed its commitment to promoting accountability, transparency and integrity across the state’s judiciary, stressing that misconduct by judicial officers would continue to attract appropriate sanctions.