Chief Magistrate Didn’t Resign Over Emergency Rule – Rivers Judiciary

The Rivers State Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has dismissed claims by a former Chief Magistrate, Ejike King George, that his resignation was prompted by the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.

In a letter dated April 11, 2025, George claimed his resignation was due to discomfort with the appointment of what he described as a “quasi-military administration” to run the state’s affairs, which he said was “antithetical” to the values of the legal profession.

However, the JSC, in a statement issued Tuesday by its acting secretary, Blessing Vic-Jumbo, clarified that George was compulsorily retired on February 10, 2025, following disciplinary action over his prolonged unauthorised absence from duty between August 2023 and December 2024.

The statement explained that a disciplinary panel found George in violation of service rules and initially offered him the option of voluntary retirement. When he failed to comply within the stipulated timeframe, the Commission moved ahead with compulsory retirement.

“This action was entirely based on administrative misconduct and had no connection to the political situation in the state,” the JSC stated, describing George’s public claims as “a contrived falsehood” and a “mischievous attempt to mislead the public and attract undue sympathy.”