CCB summons FHC Chief Judge Justice Tsoho over undeclared accounts
Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has summoned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, following a PREMIUM TIMES investigation that disclosed he failed to declare several bank accounts in his asset declaration form, in violation of the country’s Code of Conduct law.
Multiple sources within the CCB disclosed that the bureau had summoned Justice Tsoho to appear before it and respond to questions regarding the undeclared accounts.
The CCB had expected him on Friday, but he did not appear. Officials said they expected him to appear on Monday.
Documents reviewed and interviews conducted by PREMIUM TIMES showed that in the asset declaration form he completed and submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau on 29 April 2024, Justice Tsoho did not disclose several bank accounts (naira and domiciliary) as required by law.
Findings indicated that he failed to declare three separate accounts domiciled with United Bank for Africa, namely 3000087154, 3000201901, and 3000075689.
He also did not disclose his ownership of account number 1756816871, domiciled with Access Bank.
The CCB is the federal agency responsible for addressing conflicts of interest and abuse of office by public servants. Under Nigeria’s Code of Conduct regime, public officers are required to fully disclose all assets, including bank accounts and the funds held in them. Non-disclosure or false declaration constitutes a breach of the law and may attract severe sanctions, including removal from office.
Abdullahi Usman, the chairman of CCB, could not be reached to comment on this report when contacted. He also did not respond to a message informing him of our findings and requesting clarification.
However, insider sources said that if the allegations against Justice Tsoho are substantiated, the bureau will refer the matter to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).
