The number of Justices of the Supreme Court has further reduced to 13 following the retirement of Mr Justice Abdu Aboki last month.
Justice Aboki was 70 years – the statutory retirement age for justices of the country’s highest – on 5 August. But his valedictory court session was delayed till 15 September as a result of the annual court vacation.
The maximum number for Supreme Court justices is 21. Justices Mary Odili and Ejembi Eko had retired from the Supreme Court earlier in the year, while Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad resigned as Chief Justice on 27 June citing ill-health.
The Supreme Court’s Director of Press and Information, Mr Festus Akande confirmed the valedictory session for Justice Aboki in a statement on Sunday.
While he was in office in January, CJN Muhammad had called on judicial officers across the country to nominate judges for appointment into the Supreme Court bench.
His appeal read in part: “You may recall that Hon. Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour retired from judicial service on 23 March 2021 on attaining the age of 70 years, in compliance with the provision of Section 291 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“Earlier on, Hon. Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta and Hon. Justice Samuel C. Oseji died on 7 March 2021 and 28 September 2021, respectively.
“Hon. Justice M.U. Peter Odili, Hon. Justice Ejembi Eko and Hon. Justice Abdu Aboki will also be retiring from judicial service in 2022 on attaining the age of 70 years, in compliance with the relevant provision of the constitution.
“It is, therefore, necessary to take steps to replace them on the supreme court bench without delay”.
On the just retired Justice Aboki, Akande said: “Hon. Justice Abdu Aboki was sworn-in as Justice of the Supreme Court alongside seven other distinguished jurists on the 6th day of November 2020; thus spending a rather short period of one year and eight months on the apex court’s bench.
“His lordship was born on 5th August 1952 in the commercial city of Kano. He had his primary and secondary education in Kano State before proceeding to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he studied Law. Upon his graduation in 1976, he proceeded to the Nigerian Law School in Victoria Island, Lagos; and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1977.
“Justice Aboki was appointed a High Court Judge in Kano State Judiciary in 1987. He was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2006; from where he came to the supreme court in 2020. His lordship had served in different capacities in many committees at different levels of courts in the course of his career. He had equally attended several conferences and workshops where he presented scholarly papers within and outside the country”.
