The National Judicial Council (NJC) has strongly rejected claims circulating about the deaths of two judges from the Court of Appeal, who were members of the panel that upheld President Bola Tinubu’s election in September 2023.
The rumors falsely claimed that Justices Mistura Bolaji-Yusuf and Boloukuoromo Ugo died mysteriously on the same day.
The two justices were part of the five-member panel that, on September 6, 2023, delivered a unanimous ruling rejecting the petitions of Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party. The panel affirmed Tinubu’s victory in the February 25 presidential election.
According to the false reports, Justice Bolaji-Yusuf was allegedly found dead by her family, despite being in good health the previous night.
The same report claimed that Justice Ugo was found dead after a loud noise from his room, with family members discovering him bleeding and unresponsive.
However, the NJC has dismissed the reports as baseless, with its secretary, Mr. Ahmed Saleh, categorically stating, “This news is a lie. The justices are alive, well, and continuing their duties.”
A Court of Appeal staff also debunked the rumors, describing them as “totally false and mischievous.”
The staff expressed disbelief over the spread of such unfounded rumors, urging the public to ignore the fake news.
