In a document that reads more like a bitter political diatribe than a dignified public clarification, the Imo State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has released a public statement dated June 13, 2025, descending into what observers have described as an embarrassing display of institutional pettiness and defensive incoherence. The statement, issued under the hand of Frank Okafor, Director of Information, is laced with accusations, sarcasm, and invectives—most notably against Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, the respected human rights lawyer and former Chairman of Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission.
Titled “IMO STATE JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION PUBLIC STATEMENT”, the document purports to “throw some light” on the multiple controversies rocking the state’s judiciary. But rather than clarify, it adds fuel to the fire.
The statement begins by bemoaning what it calls “negative publicity” by “certain bloggers” allegedly acting at the instance of “the so-called cabals that have held the judiciary hostage for the past 32 years in Imo State.” It promises not to “join issues with the critiques,” but immediately proceeds to do exactly that—at great length and with feverish rhetoric.
On the controversial investigation into the dates of birth of serving judges in the state—an issue that has sparked outrage—the JSC reveals that its July 19, 2024 meeting passed a motion spearheaded by Hon. Mercy M. Anyanwu and supported by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu, SAN, expressing concern over the appointment of Hon. Justice Theresa Chukwuemeka-Chikeka amid allegations of age falsification.
The Commission claims it resolved to seek verification from the Council of Legal Education/Nigerian Law School regarding all sitting judges’ dates of birth. According to the JSC, “The Commission members were shocked when the reports… disclosed that as many as 19 Judges including very young and brilliant Judges were involved in the act.”
Despite acknowledging that it lacked constitutional authority to investigate judges, the Commission forwarded the report to the National Judicial Council (NJC), claiming this was done “without any petition or allegation against any of our Judges.” Yet, it asserts this move has been mischaracterized as sabotage by “mischief makers.”
In a segment that raises more questions than it answers, the Commission discusses the redeployment of the former Chief Registrar of the High Court, citing allegations of “misappropriation and unaccountability” and the sale of judiciary property. The allegations—unverified and recounted secondhand from an unnamed “Chief Law Officer of the State”—prompted the Commission to redeploy the Registrar to the Magistracy “with full salaries and entitlements intact.”
The Commission dismisses calls for procedural discipline as “mischief” and suggests that the Registrar’s partial refund of funds days after her redeployment proves her guilt. The tone becomes accusatory: “She sat tight in the office at the instance of the cabals who were out to make trouble…”
Throughout the statement, the Commission blames a vast conspiracy of “cabals,” “bloggers,” and members of the Nigerian Bar Association, whom it accuses of turning the judiciary into “their farmlands where judgments are now traded off.”
It decries “bloggers who have been engaged by the cabals… writing all manner of stuff without proper information,” whom it accuses of being “compromised commentators… induced by stomach infrastructure.”
But the crescendo of the statement—and perhaps its lowest moment—is reserved for Prof. Chidi Odinkalu. Without any preamble, the Commission attacks him:
“We are disappointed in some eminent Nigerians who have decided to destroy their credibility by dabbling into the Contentious issues involved in the Imo Judiciary without information or investigation. Most to be pitied is our friend Prof. Anslem Odinkalu who in his usual style as an arm chair critique called members of the Commission ‘Petty Rogues’ without evidence…”
The Commission claims Prof. Odinkalu was “procured” by unnamed “paymasters” to “add impetus to the dissemination of falsehood” and faults him for not placing a phone call to verify his opinions.
Observers have noted that while Prof. Odinkalu’s critique may have been pointed, the Commission’s official response—laden with ad hominem attacks—lacks the composure expected of a constitutional body.
The statement closes with a theatric flourish:
“God will judge everyone who deliberately misleads the public with falsehood.”
But the damage may already be done. By releasing such an unguarded and aggressively defensive statement, the Imo State Judicial Service Commission has not only failed to clarify but further eroded public trust.
According to one legal analyst, “This release is not a defense; it’s a meltdown. A Commission that calls itself a custodian of ethics has resorted to the very mudslinging it decries. It validates Prof. Odinkalu’s exact point.”
As the judiciary in Imo State remains mired in controversy, many now wonder whether this public spectacle marks a turning point—or a complete institutional collapse.
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