Justice Sylvester Ngwuta: 7 Things You Should Know About One of The Judges Arrested By DSS

Justice Sylvester Ngwuta was among the seven judges arrested in different states across the country between Friday night and Saturday morning over alleged corrupt practices.


The seven senior judges arrested were still in custody and would be arraigned in court any moment, A DSS official told newsmen over the weekend.

The judges in custody last night are: Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court, Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Kabir Auta of the Kano High Court, Mu’azu Pindiga of the Gombe High Court, Mohammed Tsamiya of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin and the Chief Judge of Enugu State Justice I. A. Umezulike.

Here are few things we know about Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court:

- Justice Sylvester was born in 1951 Amofia, a local government area of Ebonyi State, eastern Nigeria. He obtained a bachelor's degree in Law from Obafemi Awolowo University and was Call to the bar, the Nigerian bar in 1978 after he graduated from the Nigerian Law School

- He began his Law career in 1978 as a State counsel in Benue State Ministry of justice, the same year he established his own law firm. On October 1995, he was appointed as a Judge of the Abia State High Court.

- His lordship was the chairman of judicial panel of inquiry into the Obegu Enyibichirikwo Disturbance1997-1998 and has been a member of several Election Petition Tribunal, Governorship and legislative House Election Petition Tribunal; Nasarawa State held at Lafia in February 1999, National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal Plateau State held at Jos in April 1999, among others.

- On May 22, 2013, he was appointed to the bench of the Nigerian courts of appeal and on May 2011, he was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria as Justice

- He presided over the rulling of the Supreme Court that affirmed Olusegun Mimiko as the governor elect of Ondo State in the May 2013 governorship election. He also presided over the ruling of the Supreme Court that affirmed Kayode Fayemi as the governor elect of Ekiti State in the June 2013 governorship election and was supported by Justices Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad and Suleiman Galadima

Some prominent cases he has presided over:

- Abia Rulling: Alex Otti and Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu’s election matters

- Ondo Ruling: Mimiko and Akeredolu's election matters

- Ekiti Ruling: Segun Oni and Kayode Fayemi's election matters

- Kogi Ruling: Yahaya Bello, James Faleke and Idris Waka's Election matters

- Bayelsa Ruling: Dickson and Sylva's election matters

- Ekiti ruling: Fayose and APC's election matters