In June 2021, Tanko was forced to resign as the number one judicial officer in the country.
The family of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, has refused to vacate the Supreme Court quarters nine months after his resignation, denying his successor, Olukayode Ariwoola access to the apartment, Peoples Gazette reports.
In June 2021, Tanko was forced to resign as the number one judicial officer in the country.
A source had told SaharaReporters that an allegation against one of his sons was one of the reasons why he had to resign.
The yet-to-be-named son was said to have taken a $10m bribe from former Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko after promising to procure judgement for him on an election matter that didn’t later materialise.
“The CJN was forced to resign, He didn’t voluntarily resign. He was unaware when he got to the office this morning that he would be leaving.
“He was expected to declare open a workshop this morning at the NJI (National Judicial Institute). He was preparing for the conference when he read it somewhere that he has resigned.
“The Presidency cabal waited to boot him out after Mary Odili retired. It is part of their plans for litigation ahead 2023 elections.
“There is also an allegation against one of his sons used to force him to resign. The son took $10m from former Governor of Sokoto state, Wammako to procure judgement for him on an election matter that didn’t materialise.
“Wammako was angry and raised an alarm that he was duped by the Tanko’s son. This really embarrassed Tanko and he paid back large sum of the money. Seems he has finished paying it but not sure, so the cabal led by (Attorney General Abubakar) Malami questioned him where he got the money to refund Wammako,” one of the sources told SaharaReporters.
However, Tanko refused to vacate his official quarters within six months after his resignation as required by the law.
According to Peoples Gazette, the jurist relocated to his private apartment in Kaduna, leaving his children in the official residence of the chief justice in Abuja.
“The CJN, Hon Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, is still living in his residence, which has become untidy and congested, but he couldn’t evict Tanko’s children,” a source was quoted by Peoples Gazette as saying.
On June 22, 2022, Mr Tanko, the 16th chief justice of the apex court, resigned.
His resignation as the National Judicial Council chairman came less than a week after SaharaReporters reported how 14 justices of the apex court accused him of corruption, gross misconduct and failure to prioritise their welfare and address issues.
Subsequently, Ariwoola, a Supreme Court justice since November 22, 2011, was appointed as acting CJN on June 27, 2022, and sworn in on October 12 at the council chamber of the State House, Abuja, by President Muhammadu Buhari.
But since his swearing-in, Ariwoola has yet to move into the CJN quarters, as Tanko failed to formally vacate the premises for reasons not determined yet.
Within six months after his resignation, Tanko, who would have retired after the mandatory age of 70 years on December 31, 2023, was entitled to a rented apartment and a financial package before getting a retirement home.
“They took the children to more than five houses in Abuja for them to select or choose for their father, but they all declined, preferring to remain in the official residence of the CJN,” a source told Peoples Gazette.
The source added, “Since Tanko has not left the official residence officially, the Supreme Court continue to pay all the utility bills, including daily fueling of diesel generators with taxpayer’s money.”
The development was said to have led to a financial burden on the FJSC, having to maintain both the official apartment and that of Mr Ariwoola.
However, the source disclosed that moves to ensure Tanko’s children vacate the apartment were ongoing as the apex court’s chief registrar, Sarki Bello, travelled to Kakduna on Wednesday to plead with the former CJN.
Tanko and the spokesperson for the NJC, Soji Oye, did not return the request seeking comments on the matter.