Unlawful sack: FG and ex-CJN Onnoghen to settle out of court

The Federal Government and Justice Walter Onnoghen, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, requested that the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, settle the appeal that the appellant filed contesting his dismissal as CJN. The motion was granted on Thursday.

The main attorney for the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Dr. Ogwu Onoja, informed the three-judge panel of the Appellate Court during the resumption of the appeal hearing that the two parties to the complaint are already in talks to settle their differences amicably.

The panel was informed by Onoja that the parties had been debating till Wednesday, September 18.

He urged the court to grant them a one-month extension so they could complete the settlement and expressed hope that the conversation will result in a positive outcome of the matter.
Tijani Gazali, the Federal Government's attorney, supported Onoja's motion without raising any objections and requested that the Court move the case along in hopes of reaching a mutually agreeable resolution.

"My Lords, I would like to humbly confirm the information," he said. Our stance is to resolve the issue outside of court.The parties were instructed by Justice J. O. Oyewole, who oversaw today's session, to submit the details of the settlement for adoption after they had finally reached an agreement.

Additionally, he gave them instructions to record the settlement's conditions and submit them to the court by the postponed deadline so that the court might use them as its ruling on the case.

"He scheduled the two parties' return for November 4th."

Previous Head of State Muhammadu Buhari has in 2019 removed Justice Onnoghen, as the Chief Justice of Nigeria following a charge levelled against him bordering on false declaration of his assets where the Code of Conduct Tribunal, had found him guilty and removed from office.
After being removed, Onnoghen was also forced to give up his five bank accounts and the undisclosed assets to the federal government.