Judges of Nigeria’s Supreme Court have now been reduced to 10 as Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad has bowed out of service.
Ordinarily, the Supreme Court of Nigeria is supposed to consist of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and such number of Justices of the Supreme Court but not exceeding 21, as may be prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly.
Presently the Supreme Court is made up of the Chief Justice and ten (10) other Justices.
With Justice Dattijo’s retirement, the Justices expected to hear the pending appeals over the 2023 general elections are the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola; Justices Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Inyang Okoro, Adamu Jauro, Uwani Musa Abba Aji, Lawal Garba, Helen M. Ogunwumiju, I.N. Saulawa, Tijjani Abubakar and Emmanuel Agim.
A statement by the Director of Information of the Supreme Court, Dr Festus Akande, on Sunday said the valedictory court session to mark the retirement of Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad will be held on Friday, October, 27 at the main courtroom of the Supreme Court of Nigeria at 10.00am.
“The special court session is to be presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who will customarily, pay tribute to Justice Musa Dattijo alongside other major stakeholders in the nation’s justice sector.
“Justice Musa Dattijo hails from Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State,” he said.
Akande further stated that the jurist was born on Tuesday, October 27, 1953, in Minna, capital of Niger.
“He attended Native Primary School, Minna from 1960 to 1966 for his First School Leaving Certificate.”
“Between 1967 and 1971, he was at Sheikh Sabbah College (now Sardauna Memorial Secondary School), Kaduna, from where he proceeded to Abdullahi Bayero College, Kano for a Pre-Degree programme which aided his immediate admission into the Faculty of Law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he bagged a degree in Law in 1977.
“He was called to the Nigerian Bar on 2nd July, 1977. Not satisfied with only a first Degree in Law, Justice Dattijo sought for admission at Warwick University in 1982 for an LLM Degree which he obtained in 1983.
“He took the oath of office as Justice of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, 10th July, 2012. His ascension to the Court of Appeal was more of a reward for hard work, inherent passion for his chosen profession, dedication to duty, and above all, a resolute application of the law in its true letters and words to all cases that came to him.
“He earned a well-deserved elevation to the Court of Appeal on November 21,1998 from the Niger State Judiciary, and served meritoriously at different Divisions.”