The Rivers State Judiciary has dismissed claims made by retired Chief Magistrate Ejike King George about the circumstances surrounding his exit from service, stating that he was compulsorily retired for misconduct, not because of political reasons.
George had earlier circulated a letter on social media, stating that he voluntarily retired due to unease with what he described as a “quasi-military administration” currently governing Rivers State.
He suggested that the present system contradicted the principles of the legal profession and claimed it was the primary reason for his decision to step down.
However, Chief Registrar of the Rivers State High Court, David Ihua Maduenyi, addressed the issue during a media briefing in Port Harcourt, explaining that George was in fact compulsorily retired as of February 10, 2025.
According to Maduenyi, the decision came after repeated complaints that the magistrate had been absent from duty without official leave from August 25, 2023, to December 2024.
Following the complaints, George appeared before a disciplinary panel set up by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
The panel found him guilty and recommended that he either retire voluntarily or face compulsory retirement. The JSC later approved the compulsory retirement.
Maduenyi criticised George’s public statement, saying his attempt to tie his retirement to the current political situation in the state was both misleading and an intentional effort to deceive the public for sympathy and support he does not deserve.
George had pointed to the current leadership of Rivers State—now governed by retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas after the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and all members of the State House of Assembly—as being incompatible with the ideals of justice.
Their suspension came after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the state due to a prolonged political crisis that was seen as a threat to democracy.
