Legal historians speak about the golden era of the Supreme Court with nostalgia.
It was a time when the highest court was composed of first-class jurists. Their verdicts were predictable.
They promoted justice over technicalities, and their sense of fairness and intellect shone through in their erudite decisions.
It was the days of legal giants like Justice Kayode Eso, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, Justice Otutu Obaseki and Justice Chuwkueneike Idigbe.
Years after they are long gone, they remain reference points in the annals of the Nigerian judiciary.
Can that be said of the Supreme Court today? Recent verdicts have sent shockwaves through the system and left Nigerians scratching their heads.
Some of the major verdicts readily come to mind.
- Exclusion of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from fielding candidates in Rivers State during the 2019 general elections.
- Nullification APC’s victory in the Zamfara election and transferring it to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) due to alleged irregularities in the party’s primaries
- Imo governorship election case in which a candidate, Hope Uzodimma, who came third was declared the winner.
- The decision that the fiat issued to Justice Mohammed Idris to conclude the adjudication of the case of former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, who was convicted after over a decade of trial, on the basis that the judge continued with the case after being elevated to the Court of Appeal was “a nullity”.
- Controversial decision on the Hijab case in which the panel was sharply divided along religious lines.
Lower standards?
Unlike in the good old days, it is difficult to determine the philosophical disposition of the present Supreme Court justices.
Justices of the United States Supreme Court, for instance, can easily be classed as either conservatives or liberals in their orientation.
But, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who preferred not to be named due to the sensitive nature of the subject, believed that the present Supreme Court Justices of Nigeria lack clear and identifiable convictions.
The SAN said: “There is no question that the Supreme Court is at its lowest point since the court was established.
“The philosophy of the court is hard to establish and the Justices, with the greatest respect, deliver very basic judgements.
“This is why most of the Justices have not established a national presence. This calls to mind the era of the ideological Supreme Court that was known for judicial activism.
“One remembers the Aniagolu’s, Eso’s, Idigbe’s, Oputa’s, etc. There are simply few Justices of the Supreme Court that one can say has an understanding of the nature and importance of the court.
“Just reading the decision of the Supreme Court on the funding structure of the Judiciary makes one wonder if their lordships understood the policy issues.
“The Supreme Court needs to refresh by taking in barristers from the Bar. Recall that Wole Olanipekun, OCJ Okocha, AB Mahmoud, Anthony Idigbe, Olisa Agbakoba, and others, were all rejected as potential Justices of the court.
“One wonders what would have become of the court if these first-class barristers sat on the court with their combined experience of well over 150 years.
“This was a great loss. This is the time to restore the lost glory of the court.”
Another SAN, who also pleaded not to be named, said: “In my assessment of the justices, from their days at the Court of Appeal and at the Supreme Court, it does not appear that any of them can be located within the confines of any of the prominent juridical philosophies of liberalism, conservatism or Dworkin theory of justice according to morality.
“It will, therefore, be simply contended that they have all pursued justice from the prism of law as it is whilst emphasising procedural rigidity in oscillating methodology.
“Without wholly denying their progressive disposition to judicial interpretation of the law, it does seem that they, apart from Nweze, JSC, have never seen the court as a law-making institution through the cases.
“I will not share the optimism that judicial activism as erected and pursued by Eso, Oputa, Bello JJSC, is still alive at the court at the moment, but I must concede that their oxygen to enthrone justice is on their slate.”
Cn the Supreme Court’s lost glory be restored? Will the present Justices change the narrative going forward? Here is a profile of the current Justices and what they are like.
Justice Olukayode Ariwoola
On the court since: November 22, 2011, to retire on August 22, 2024.
How he got to the court: Born August 22, 1954, Justice Ariwoola, from Oyo State, studied law at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Ile Ife and graduated in July 1980. He was sworn in as a judge of the High Court of Oyo State on November 2, 1992, after some years in private legal practice. On November 22, 2005, he was sworn in as a Justice of the Court of Appeal.
Who he is as a Justice: He headed the seven-member panel of the Supreme Court that reversed the decision by the Lagos State Government to regulate the use of head covering (hijab) by female Muslim students in public schools in the state. Justice Ariwoola was one of the five Muslims on the panel. The two Christian members disagreed.
Justice Ariwoola also headed the five-member panel that dismissed the appeal filed by former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi against the decision of the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike to set up a panel to probe the former minister’s administration.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Toyin Bashorun, said of Justice Ariwoola: “I have known the honourable justice through my interactions with him at the Supreme Court and from reading his decisions in the Law Reports to be an erudite judge, a cerebral gentleman with a human face.
“He is a father figure who strives to ensure that justice is served at all times. He was among the panel of five Supreme Court Justices who presided over the case of Tajudeen Kareem vs. State sometime in 2015, wherein I had the fiat of the honourable Attorney General of Ogun State to act for the State and Mr Adewunmi Ogunsanya (SAN) acted for the accused person/appellant.
“It was a case of rape and murder. I experienced the maturity and brilliance of my Lord in this matter all through from the argument of the appeal to the delivery of judgement.
“My lord made his point without lambasting or castigating counsel at all. Again in the case of Tega Esabunor & another Vs Tunde Faweya & ors ( 2019) my Lord Justice Ariwoola wrote a supporting decision together with Hon Justice Nweze that established the justiciability of the rights of a child. My Lord Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour wrote the lead judgement in the case.
“I am always elated whenever he is on the panel of judges presiding at the hearing of my appeals at the Supreme Court. He asks questions which tell you that he had read through the briefs and the records so that it is impossible to ‘pull wool over his eyes’.
“He is quite experienced at the higher bench and I dare say his era at the helm of affairs in the Supreme Court will be something of a renaissance for the Supreme Court at this trying period.”
A law teacher, Wahab Shittu, said of Justice Ariwoola: “He has a matured and dignified approach in the conduct of proceedings. Very polite, cultured and civil, His lordship consults his colleagues consistently before making judicial pronouncements in the course of proceedings. His lordship guides counsel in the course of proceedings and is obsessed with the theory of justice. His lordship’s style is simple, open and non-confrontational. Counsel who appear and watch His Lordship’s proceedings are guaranteed to walk away with enriched mastery of practice and procedures in the Supreme Court.”
Justice Musa Datijo Muhammad
On the court since: July 2012, to retire October 27, 2023.
How he got to the court: Muhammad was born on October 27, 1953 in Minna, Niger State. He attended Bayero University, Kano State for a pre-degree Certificate before he proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University where he obtained a law degree in 1976. He later received a master’s degree in law from the University of Warwick in 1983.
What he is as a Justice: He presided over the ruling of the Supreme Court that affirmed Gbenga Kaka as the Senator-elect of Ogun East Senatorial District on April 2, 2011, senatorial election.
Shittu said of him: “Justice Muhammad is a highly experienced, disciplined and integrity-driven judicial official with a serious-minded disposition in the conduct of judicial proceedings.
“Counsel appearing before His lordship is advised to be fully prepared as consequences of lack of preparation and shoddy conduct of cases by counsel are better imagined than described. His lordship is a stickler for rules and ethics.
“His lordship takes adherence to professional standards and integrity very seriously. His lordship takes adherence to substantive law and procedural matters very seriously and is unlikely to be unsparing of counsel who addresses these matters with lethargy. His lordship has complete mastery and control of courtroom proceedings.”
Bashorun added: “My lord is a gifted writer who always philosophises his reasonings. He introduced his reasoning in the Tajudeen Kareem case I referred to above by wondering out loud about the cruelty of man to his fellow man; in that the accused not only raped the victim, he slit her throat when he realised she recognised him. My Lord’s analysis of the case was most precise. He is God-fearing and a no-nonsense Judge.”
Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun
On the court since: June 8, 2013, to retire on May 7, 2028
How she got on the court: Justice Kekere-Ekun, born in Lagos on May 7, 1958, obtained her LL.B in 1980 from the University of Lagos and LL.M from the London School of Economics and Political Science in November 1983. She was appointed a Senior Magistrate Grade II, Lagos State Judiciary in December 1989. She was appointed as a Judge of the High Court of Lagos State in July 1996 and elevated to Court of Appeal on September 22, 2004.
How she is as a Justice: She read the unanimous judgment of the seven-member panel that held that results for Hope Uzodimma in 388 polling units in the 2019 Imo governorship election were unlawfully excluded during collation. She wrote the lead majority judgment delivered on June 17 on the Hijab case.
Bashorun said of her: “She is easily my favourite female Judge in the Supreme Court, apart from Hon Justice Amina Augie, who taught me the Law of Evidence at the Nigerian Law School. She continues to be a guide to me in the profession.
“I have always known her to be focused and hardworking, hence my great admiration of her. She handles the law proficiently like a sculptor and quite precisely too.
“Only recently in the case of Yusuf Abdul Kareem vs. FRN (2022), my Lord in her lead judgement reached a swift and precise decision, which allowed an accused person who had been wrongly incarcerated for over 10 years to be set free immediately without wasting more time.
“Even though she is a Lady of talents and candour, Madam Justice will never hesitate to reprimand any counsel (Big, mighty or small) who is out of line, either on the bench or outside the courtroom. She has been a woman of integrity for as long as I can remember. Nigeria is blessed to have these erudite jurists at her apex court at this time in her history.”
Shittu said about her: “Justice Kekere-Ekun is generally acknowledged as serious-minded, disciplined, focused, honest, integrity-driven and highly respected judicial officer. His lordship rarely intervenes in the conduct of judicial proceedings and betrays no emotions but is highly focused on the theory of justice. Generally adjudged incorruptible and decent, His lordship commands the respect of the rank and file on account of carriage, dignity and professional honour.
“His lordship is respected for knowledge, learning and character. His lordship always brings to the conduct of proceedings calmness, simplicity, candour and commitment to professional standards and high discipline. His lordship is both a delight and treasure in carriage and disposition within and outside courtroom proceedings.”
Justice Chima Centus Nweze
On the court since: October 2014, to retire on September 25, 2028
How he got on the court: Justice Nweze was born on September 25, 1958, in Enugu State. He studied law at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, during which he represented all Nigerian law faculties at the Phillip Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington DC as the Chief Oralist. He graduated in 1983. He obtained a Master of Law in 2001 and subsequently a Ph.D. from the university. He joined the Enugu State High Court in November 1995 and was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2008.
How he is as a Justice: Justice Nweze is perceived as one of the most intellectually-sagacious jurists of the Supreme Court. He notably gave a dissenting judgment in the Imo case, saying it will “continue to haunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come”.
Justice Nweze held that the apex court had the power to overrule itself as has been done so in the past.
“This court has a duty of redeeming its image. It is against this background that the finality of the court cannot extinguish the right of any person,” he said.
Shittu said: “Hon Justice Nweze is generally acknowledged as the intellectual powerhouse, deeply cerebral and scholarly in judicial pronouncements. His lordship distils issues with clinical intellectual lenses and engages counsel frontally based on well-informed perspectives. His lordship’s approach is professorial and jurisprudential. His lordship’s judgements are deep, well-reasoned, analytical and scholarly in the best tradition of a jurist obsessed with the jurisprudence of ‘thinking of thinking’. In my view, His lordship is a jurist/scholar on the supreme court bench.”
Justice Amina Augie
On the court since: November 7, 2016, to retire on September 3, 2023.
How she got on the court: Justice Augie is the sixth female to be so appointed in the history of the nation’s apex court. She was born Anne Eva Graham on September 3, 1953 in Kebbi State. She studied law at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) from 1972 to 1977. She obtained further degrees from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria from 1980 to 1981 and the University of Lagos from 1986 to 1987. Between 1980 and 1982, she had a stint with the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria as an Assistant Lecturer. From 1982 to 1984, she served as a Senior State Counsel in the Office of the Chief Counsel to the then President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, after which, she was appointed Lecturer by the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, where she served between 1984 and 1988. She was appointed Chief Magistrate in the Sokoto State Judiciary in 1988. She combined her service at the Bench with being a part-time lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Uthman Danfodio University, Sokoto from 1989 to 1992. She served as an Associate Lecturer at the same university from September 1999 to September 2002. Justice Augie was elevated to the Court of Appeal Bench in 2002.
How she is as a Justice: One of her memorable decisions is her lead judgment in the February 26, 2020 ruling of the Supreme Court dismissing the applications by the APC and its governorship candidate in the last governorship election in Bayelsa State, David Lyon.
The APC and Lyon had, by their applications, prayed the apex court to review its February 13, 2020 judgment in the appeal marked: SC/1/2020 in which it reversed APC’s victory in the Bayelsa State governorship election.
Justice Augie did not only dismiss the applications because they lacked merit, she penalised the lawyers, Afe Babalola (SAN) and Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who were ordered to pay each of the respondents – the Peoples Democratic Party, Governor Douye Diri and his deputy – N10million each in cost.
Justice Augie, who is seen by many as a strict judicial officer and a stickler for rules, exhibited these attributes in her lead decision in the Bayelsa case when, in reference to the conduct of the two senior lawyers to the applicants, she said: “I cannot believe, and with tears in my eye, I say I cannot believe that in my lifetime, I will see very senior members of the Bar, bring applications of this nature to this court, which are aimed at desecrating the sanctity of this court.”
Justice Augie was also part of the seven-member panel of the Supreme Court that rejected President Muhammadu Buhari’s suit against the provision of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022.
Justice John Inyang Okoro
On the court since: November 15, 2013, to retire on July 11, 2029.
How he got on the court: An indigene of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Okoro was born on July 7, 1959. He was a judge of the High Court of Akwa-Ibom State from 1998 till 2006 when he was appointed a Justice of the Court of Appeal. He was one of the two Justices of the Supreme Court arrested by the State Security Services (SSS) on October 8, 2016 on allegations of bribery and corruption. Unlike his other colleague, Justice Sylvanus Ngwuta (now late), who was charged, Justice Okoro was never taken before any court. The SSS later cleared him and he resumed his duties at the apex court subsequently on June 3, 2017.
How he is as a Justice: But for Justice Okoro and three others, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State would have been out of office by now. Justice Okoro was one of the four Justices who dismissed the appeal by the PDP and its candidate in the last governorship election in Ondo State, Eyitayo Jegede.
Jegede had, in the case marked: SC/448/2021 faulted the nomination of Akeredolu for the election on the grounds that the then APC chairman, Mai Mala Buni, who signed Akeredolu’s nomination form, was a sitting governor of Yobe State, and thereby allegedly violating the provision of the constitution of the APC.
While Justice Peter Odili (now retired), who headed the seven-member panel, upheld Jegede’s contention in her judgment, supported by two other Justices, Okoro and three others gave the majority decision, which faulted the case of the PDP and its candidate because Buni was not made a party and, thus denied a fair hearing.
He is seen as one of the few vocal members of the apex court’s bench, and an avid advocate of judicial independence.
Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji
On the court since: January 8, 2019, to retire on November 7, 2026.
How she got on the court: Justice Abba-Aji, from Yobe State, became the seventh woman to sit on the Supreme Court Bench and the second from the North East region after Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi (from Borno State and now retired). She was born in November 7, 1956. She obtained a diploma in Law from the Institute of Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between 1974 and 1976 and later studied Law in 1980. She was appointed as State Counsel in 1982 and became Acting Senior Counsel in 1984, Senior Magistrate II in 1986, Senior Magistrate I in 1987, Chief Magistrate II in 1989, Chief Magistrate I in 1991, and Chief Registrar in November 1991.
Abba-Aji made history when she was, on December 18, 1991 appointed a judge of the High Court of Yobe State, making her the first female judge on the state’s Bench. She was elevated to the Court of Appeal on 22 September 22, 2004.
How she is as a Justice: Her Lordshop was the only woman in the seven-member panel that heard the appeal by the PDP and its candidate in the last presidential election, in which they challenged the victory secured by the APC and its candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari.
The panel was unanimous in dismissing the appeal in its judgment on October 30, 2019 in the appeal marked: SC/1211:2019.
She was also one of the six Justices out of seven, who on March 4, 2020, rejected the application by the PDP and Emeka Ihedioha for the Supreme Court to review its decision which made Hope Uzodinma of the APC the governor of Imo State. It was only Justice Nweze who dissented.
Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba
On the court since: October 2020, to retire November 11, 2028.
Justice Garba, from Zamfara State, obtained a Law degree from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was a judge of the Sokoto State High Court, became the court’s Chief Judge and later moved to Zamfara State, where he also served as the Chief Judge before moving to the Federal High Court, from where he was elevated to the Court of Appeal.
How he is as a Justice: He served as the Chairman of the Presidential Elections Petitions Tribunal for 2019, before his promotion to the Supreme Court. He is seen by many as a calm judge, who possesses the rare ability to tolerate lawyers’ antics. This attribute, they said, he demonstrated well when he presided over the tribunal that decided the petition by the PDP and Atiku against the APC and President Buhari after the 2019 presidential election. He was then a Justice of the Court of Appeal.
He is also an advocate of an independent and virile Judiciary. He believes the Judiciary is “expected to put a check and hold a balance between the arms of government, the government and the governed, the ‘big and small,’ the rich and the poor, the ‘common and the uncommon men,’ the ordinary and extra-ordinary, etc., in the society…”
He added: “However, for the court to be in a position to efficiently and effectively discharge its duty of safeguarding, protecting, defending and ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Constitution, as its guardian, it has to be virile, bold, dynamic, astute, upright, courageous, just, honourable, respectable and independent of external interferences and undue influence.”
Justice Garba was a member of the panel that faulted President Buhari and the AGF in their challenge of the provision of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022 by striking out the case.
The seven-member panel was emphatic that the law does not permit President Buhari to approbate and reprobate on the same issue at the same time, and that since he participated in enacting the Electoral Act by assenting to it, he could no longer question its legitimacy.
Justice Emmanuel Agim
On the court since: October 2020, to retire April 26, 2030
Born April 26, 1960, in Obudu, Cross River State Nigeria. He obtained a degree in Lagos at the University of Calabar and a Masters in Law from the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
How he got on the court: Agim is a jurist, public prosecutor, private legal practitioner, legal writer, judicial trainer and administrator. He was the Chief Judge of the Gambia and Judge of the Supreme Court of the Gambia. He is a member of the ECOWAS Council of Chief of Justices. He also served on the Court of Appeal of the Republic of the Gambia and as Acting Chief Justice. From 2010 to 2014, Justice Agim was Justice of the Supreme Court Swaziland.
How he is as a Justice: Upon his return to Nigeria at the end of his sojourn abroad, Justice Agim was sworn in as a Justice of the Court of Appeal on November 5, 2012. On May 30, 2019, Justice Agim led the Court of Appeal panel that set aside the judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) given by Justice Othman Musa, which voided Ademola Adeleke’s candidacy for Osun election. In a unanimous judgment by a three-man panel, the Court of Appeal held that the FCT High Court was wrong to have concluded that Adeleke did not complete secondary education and that he presented a false academic certificate. He also read the lead judgment on May 6 that resolved the ownership dispute of 17 oil wells in favour of Rivers State.
Justice Adamu Jauro
On the court since: October 2020, to retire June 26, 2029.
How he got on the court: Born on June 26, 1959, in Gombe State, he obtained a degree in Law from the Ahmadu Bello University, in 1980. He joined the Ministry of Justice in Bauchi State in 1983, and later moved to Ahmadu Bello University on secondment as Assistant Lecturer and later rejoined the Ministry of Justice, Bauchi State. He was in active service in the prosecution department and rose to the rank of Director of Public Prosecution from 1991 to 1996 before he left for the newly created Gombe State. He served in various capacities at the Gombe State Judiciary and was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Gombe State until 2007 when he was elevated to the Court of Appeal. He served in various Divisions of the court including Lagos, Ibadan, Jos, Port Harcourt, Yola. He also holds a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Jos.
How he is a Justice: He led the seven-member panel of justices that dismissed an appeal by former minister of transportation Rotimi Amaechi seeking to stop his probe over an alleged N96 billion fraud. He dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.
He read the lead judgment dismissing an appeal filed by a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside, seeking to set aside N6 billion damages awarded against him for defaming the character of a former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili.
Justice Tijjani Abubakar
On the court since: October 2020, to retire on April 15, 2030.
How he got on the court: Born on April 15, 1960, in Yobe State, Justice Abubakar is a 1982 law graduate of the University of Maiduguri. He began his legal career as a Pupil State Counsel in the Borno State Ministry of Justice in 1982 and rose to the position of Principal State Counsel in 1988. He was appointed a Judge of the Federal High Court in 2004. Eight years later, he became a Justice of the Court of Appeal. He was serving in the Lagos Division of the appellate court until his appointment as Justice of the Supreme Court.
How he is as a Justice: He had a solid background in public service as Permanent Secretary and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Yobe State. Some of the landmark judgments delivered by Justice Abubakar included one in which the Supreme Court restored GTB’s appeal against Innoson Motors in a N2.4bn judgment debt. Relying on Order 8 Rules 16 of the Supreme Court’s rules, Justice Abubakar, in a rare lead judgment, held that the apex court has the power to set aside its decision in certain circumstances, like any other court.
He explained that the Supreme Court could reverse itself where there was any reason to do so, such as where any of the parties obtained judgment by fraud, default or deceit, where such a decision was a nullity, or where it was obvious that the court was misled into giving a decision.
In the case of the Federal Director of Pensions, John Yusuf, Justice Abubakar affirmed the Court of Appeal judgment sentencing him to six years imprisonment for misappropriating N22.9bn Police pension fund.
He was also one of the Supreme Court Justices that ruled in June that Muslim female students can wear hijab to school.
An author and writer, Justice Abubakar alongside Gilbert and Tor, was the author of a publication, “Revisiting the Legal Consideration for Retinue of Crimes In The Criminal Justice Process in Nigeria” published in the Benue State University Law Journal.
Justice Helen Ogunwumiju
On the court since: October 13, 2020, to retire on March 23, 2027.
How she got to the court: Born March 23, 1957, Ogunwumiju graduated from the University of Lagos in 1977. She worked in the Ondo State Ministry of Justice as a state counsel for two years. She went on to work with the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and rose to become Assistant Director in 1988.
In 1991, Ogunwumiju joined the Judiciary, advancing through the ranks as Chief Magistrate; Secretary, Judicial Service Commission, Oyo State; Probate Registrar and Chief Registrar, Oyo State in 1997. In 1998, she was elevated to the High Court of Ondo State, Nigeria, and was later elevated to the Court of Appeal, Nigeria in 2005. From 2013, she was the Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Enugu Division.
What she is as a justice: Justice Helen Ogunwumiju can be described as a fearless activist and anti-corruption crusader on the apex court bench. A stickler for rule and advocate of judges taking charge of their courts, the jurist last October challenged law teachers in universities to be free to analyse and criticise judgments being churned out by the Supreme Court, saying it would be good for the development of law in the country, as the law is not static.
“When judgments are good, they are supposed to commend the judges, and when judgments are per incuriam, they are supposed to criticise the judges,” Justice Ogunwumiju said.
She is also passionately against religious discrimination.
Speaking at a symposium by the International Centre for Law and Religion Studies, Justice Ogunwumiju said she felt very strongly that religious people should not be discriminated against or treated poorly based on their beliefs and values, both inside and outside of their religions.
Justice Abdu Aboki
On the court since: October 13, 2020, to retire on August 5, 2022
How he got to the court: Aboki was born on August 5, 1952 in Kano State. He attended the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1977 and started his career as a Legal Officer with the Kano Civil Service after his NYSC in 1978.
Aboki was appointed State Counsel, Ministry of Justice, Kano between 1978-82, and was Principal State Counsel between 1982 and 83. Before his elevation to Chief Registrar, High Court of Justice, Kano State, Aboki served as Solicitor General/ Permanent Secretary, as well as Director, Public Prosecution, Ministry of Justice, Kano State.
In 1987 he was appointed a Judge of the High Court of Kano State and Justice of the Court of Appeal in 2006, where he served in various divisions of the court before his recent elevation to the Supreme Court.
What he as a justice: Justice Aboki came under public scrutiny when he was mentioned in connection with a petition on the Imo North Senatorial District bye-election Election conducted on October 5 2020.
But the Supreme Court on March, 26, 2021 said the jurist was not mentioned in the petition, adding that linking him to the petition was an attempt at an “orchestrated mudslinging.’
Justice Ibrahim Saulawa
On the court since: October 13, 2020, to retire on September 29, 2026
How he got to the court: Justice Saulawa from Katsina State, was born on September 29, 1956. He obtained an LLB degree from Bayero University, Kano in 1981 and a postgraduate certificate in Practice and Procedure, and Legislative Drafting from the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. He holds a Certificate of Instruction for Legal Practitioners (Arbitration) from Harvard Law School, MA, USA.
Justice Saulawa became a Magistrate on Grade II at the Kaduna State Judiciary in 1983 and later as Chief Magistrate in Katsina State Judiciary in 1987.
However, in 1991, he was appointed as Deputy Chief Registrar, Court of Appeal and served in the Lagos, Jos and Kaduna Divisions of the Court.
In 1993, he was appointed as substantive Registrar, Court of Appeal, Lagos and a Judge, High Court of Justice, Katsina State in 1994.
However, he returned to the Court of Appeal in 2006 but this time as a Justice of the Court of Appeal. He has served in the various Divisions of the court. He was the Presiding Justice of the Ilorin Division before his nomination to the Supreme Court Bench.
What he as a justice: As a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Lagos, Justice Saulawa, hugged the limelight when on May 30, 2013, he withdrew from the three-man judges’ panel hearing the appeal filed by Hamza Al-Mustapha, challenging his death sentence for the murder of Kudirat Abiola.
Justice Saulawa, who led two other judges – Joseph Ikyegh and Fatima Akinbami- on the panel, said his experience in a previous “similar case” was the reason for his stepping down.
The judge, however, did not elaborate on his “personal reasons” for withdrawing from the case.
Chief Louis Alozie (SAN), who has appeared before the justices, described them as “articulate, intelligent and knowledgeable in the law and rules of court”.
A former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Dr Agbokoba urged the Supreme Court to work very hard to regain public confidence.
