Human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Chidi Odinkalu, has accused the Kogi State Government of failing to pay statutory retirement entitlements owed to several retired judges in the state.
Odinkalu made the allegation in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, where he claimed that the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo is deliberately withholding the benefits of retired judicial officers, a situation he described as unjust, unlawful, and damaging to the justice system.
According to him, the affected judges include the former Chief Judge of Kogi State, Justice John Bayo Olowosegun; former President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice Yunusa Musa; and other retired jurists, namely Justices Sunday Omeiza Otu, Olorunfemi Richard Olorunju, Esther O. Haruna, Prof. Andrew Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, Olutimehin Samuel Obayomi, and Elias Adem Egwu.
Odinkalu disclosed that the retired judges have now formally served notice on the Kogi State Government, signalling their intention to institute legal action to recover their unpaid entitlements if the matter is not resolved.
He warned that the continued failure to honour judicial retirement benefits poses a serious threat to judicial independence and violates constitutional and statutory safeguards designed to protect the welfare of judicial officers, both serving and retired.
According to Odinkalu, denying retired judges their lawful entitlements not only amounts to a breach of the law but also sends a dangerous signal that could undermine confidence in the judiciary and discourage integrity within the justice system.