By Olawale Lamina
No fewer than 34 lawyers have been removed from the process of being appointed judges to the Federal High Court of Nigeria after falling short of an integrity test under new guidelines approved by the National Judicial Council, NJC.
The introduction to integrity test, endorsed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, is aimed at eliminating persons of questionable character from being appointed as judicial officers.
These were among 62 applicants earlier shortlisted for the Federal High Court bench but were disqualified following petitions submitted against them during the screening.
Available information at the NJC revealed that only 28 nominees who performed impressively would appear before the council’s interview panel in January 2026.
62 applicants earlier passed the Computer-Based Test (CBT) conducted by the Federal High Court, after which their names were forwarded to the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), according to close sources.
In line with established procedures, the FJSC applied the integrity test policy by publishing the names of the 62 nominees on September 17, 2025, inviting members of the public to submit feedback on their integrity, reputation and suitability for judicial appointment.
One of the petitions alleged that a female nominee demanded and received bribes in the course of her official duties. The matter was referred to the Police Service Commission (PSC) for investigation. At the conclusion of its probe, the PSC reportedly established that the nominee demanded and received a bribe of N1m in relation to a court matter that passed through her office.
Findings from that petition and several others were upheld by the FJSC with only 28 nominations, forwarding their names to the NJC. The body then dropped the remaining 34 for failing the integrity test.
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