Rivers State JSC Debunks Magistrate’s Resignation Claims, Cites Disciplinary Dismissal
The Rivers State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has refuted claims by retired Chief Magistrate Ejike K. George, calling his recent resignation narrative “false, misleading, and politically motivated.”
George, in a letter dated April 11, alleged he resigned from the judiciary in protest of what he described as a “quasi-military administration” now presiding over the state’s affairs — a reference to the controversial suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the subsequent appointment of a sole administrator by President Bola Tinubu on March 18.
However, in a strongly worded statement issued by Blessings Vic-Jumbo, acting secretary of the JSC, the commission stated that George had been compulsorily retired from service for disciplinary reasons — a decision made over a month before his public letter.
“To set the records straight,” Vic-Jumbo said, “Ejike K. George, Esq. (Chief Magistrate Grade II Rtd.) was compulsorily retired from service with effect from February 10, 2025, by a letter dated February 12, 2025, following disciplinary proceedings.”
According to the commission, George was absent from duty without official leave for over a year — from August 25, 2023, to December 2024 — a serious violation that prompted an internal judiciary panel to act. He was reportedly allowed to retire voluntarily within a specified period but failed to do so.
The JSC emphasized that George’s exit had “no nexus whatsoever with current political happenings in the state.”
Describing George’s recent comments as a “contrived falsehood” designed to “deceive the public, attract undue sympathy and undeserved patronage,” the commission urged the public to disregard his version of events.
