Nigeria, Feb. 6 -- The House of Representatives has passed, for a second reading, a bill seeking to insulate judicial officers from prosecution by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

The bill, sponsored by Solomon Bob (PDP, Rivers), was debated on Thursday and passed for a second reading despite stiff opposition.

It seeks to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act to insulate judicial officers from prosecution until they are legally removed from office.

The bill proposes that a judge must first be removed by the National Judicial Council (NJC) before being arraigned before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

The debate on the bill's general principles began on Wednesday amid strong opposition.

During Wednesday's debate, Cleme...