The ambition of a female Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Blessing Nkechi Ezeala to be elevated to the position of a Judge of the High Court has ended in disgrace following a petition against her in which she was accused of a one million Naira bribe in the course of her duties as a legal officer in the police force.
Ezeala, whose name was forwarded as a judge-nominee, was dropped from the process alongside 33 other lawyers for failing integrity test.
Sixty-two candidates had scaled the first hurdle of passing the Computer Based Test (CBT) but only 28 of them passed the integrity test.
In a petition dated September 22, 2025, which was copied to the FJSC, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN) the National Judicial Council (NJC), Police Service Commission (PSC), and President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the petitioner, Alh. Abubakar Yahaya, narrated how Ezeala allegedly forced him to pay N1million bribe.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that after a thorough investigation of the petition, Ezeala was found unworthy to be a member of the bench in the country’s judiciary.
Amid allegation of favouritism, a report by the Vanguard quoted a judicial source as insisting that there was nothing controversial about the process.
According to the source, “The FJSC did a thorough work using the policy the CJN introduced which required public feedback on the 62 persons the Federal High Court forwarded their names.
“Accordingly, their names were published on September 17, 2025, wherein members of the public were invited to give their feedback on the nominees’ integrity, reputation, and suitability for judicial appointment.
“Several petitions were received and considered by the FJSC. The affected persons were equally afforded the opportunity to defend themselves. At the end of the process, only 28 nominees scaled through while 34 others failed the integrity test”.
One of those disqualified was CSP Ezeala, and below is the petition against her by Alh. Abubakar Yahaya.
“Our client’s encounter with Blessing Nkechi Ezeala occurred sometime on the 16th day of January 2025 when our client got a call from his security guards at his house that some police men were around with the enforcement team from the court. Our client swiftly moved to the house to confirm this position and when he got there and saw things for himself, he directed his security guards to allow them carry out their work.
“While our client was at the house, some Police men from the Zone 7 Police Command came to the house and arrested our client without any warrant and only stated that there was a petition against our client and that they were there to arrest our client on the instruction of the officer in charge of Legal section, Zone 7. Police Command in person MN1rs. Blessing Ezeani.
“Our client obeyed and went with the police officer to Zone 7. Command, Abuja. Upon getting to the station, our client gave his statement and Blessing Nkechi Ezeala refused to grant Bail to our client and until a proxy who is friend with Blessing Nkechi Ezeala took the sum of One Million Naira (N1,000,000:00) only, as bribe before our client was released to go home on bail.
“This act of the nominee among several other acts of misconduct was reported to the Police Service Commission (herein referred to as the Commission) for investigation and the Commission constituted a panel of enquiry headed by the chairman and other management staff of the Commission.
“The Commission in its findings contained in its report dated February 3, 2025, discovered that One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00) was collected by one Umar Tahir through account no 5600614399 (Fidelity Bank), part of which was later found to have been sent to the account of one Jane Ugonma Oleka.
“Further investigation by the Commission revealed that the sum of Nine Hundred and Ninety- Five Thousand Naira (N995,000:00) was traced from the account of the said Jane Ugonma Oleka to the account of Blessing Ezeala Nkechi, who maintains an account with the United Bank of Africa with account number 2055792545. The transaction happened on the 15th day of January, 2025.
“For ease of reference, a copy of the petition to the Commission and the report of the Police Service Commission is hereby attached as Annexture A and B for your perusal and consideration.
“The character of Blessing Nkechi Ezeala (the Nominee) clearly is one that can best be described as lacking in integrity, completely failing in terms of measurement of reputation and above all, highly unsuitable for appointment as a judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria.
“The judiciary has had its own backlash in the sight of the public but we are grateful for the leadership of the judiciary for taking bold steps in sanitizing the judicial system.
“We have our client’s instruction to recommend the refusal of the appointment of Blessing Nkechi Ezeala as a judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria and it is solely on the strength of the reasons hereabove stated. She is a corrupt Police officer and if appointed would only become a corrupt Judicial Officer. Our comments are only to save the judiciary from the danger ahead”.
The question is, apart from stopping CSP Blessing Nkechi Ezeala from importing her alleged corrupt tendencies from the police force into the dispensation of justice, will there be any further sanction to serve as deterrent to others in the system?