The National Judicial Council (NJC) has dismissed as false and unfounded claims circulating on social media that two Justices who were part of the five-member panel that upheld President Bola Tinubu’s election have died under mysterious circumstances.
The reports alleged that Justices Mistura Bolaji-Yusuf and Boloukuoromo Moses Ugo, both serving at the Court of Appeal, passed away on the same day, with no apparent medical cause. According to the viral rumors, Justice Bolaji-Yusuf was said to have been in good health the night before her death but was found unresponsive by her family the next morning. The cause of her death was reportedly unknown.
Similarly, Justice Ugo was alleged to have been found dead after a loud noise was heard from his room at around 2 a.m. Family members were said to have broken down his door and found him unresponsive and bleeding.
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However, both the NJC and the Court of Appeal have strongly rejected these reports as mere fabrications.
In a statement issued by NJC Secretary, Mr. Ahmed Gambo Saleh, the Council reassured the public that the two Justices were alive and performing their duties. “Please ignore the news, it is a lie. The Justices are alive, well, and doing their jobs,” Saleh said.
An official of the Court of Appeal, who spoke anonymously, also condemned the rumors. “It is totally false and mischievous. Their Lordships are well and in good health. It is most unfortunate that mischief makers will sit at a corner and wish death on others. Please ignore the false news,” the official told Vanguard.
The two Justices, Bolaji-Yusuf and Ugo, were part of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal that upheld the victory of President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 25, 2023 presidential election. On September 6, 2023, the panel rejected petitions filed by opposition figures, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), challenging the election results.