Number Of Supreme Court Judges Drop As Justice Quits Ahead Of Peter Obi, Atiku Cases
The Supreme Court has seen a reduction in the number of its Justices to 10 following the retirement of Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad.
In a statement released by the Director of Information of the Supreme Court, Dr. Festus Akande, it was announced that a valedictory court session to mark Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad’s retirement will be held on Friday, October 27, at the main courtroom of the Supreme Court of Nigeria at 10.00 am.
The special court session will be presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who will pay tribute to Justice Musa Dattijo alongside other significant figures in the nation’s justice sector.
Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, who hails from Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, was born on Tuesday, October 27, 1953, in Minna, the capital of Niger. He attended Native Primary School, Minna, from 1960 to 1966 for his First School Leaving Certificate.
Between 1967 and 1971, he studied at Sheikh Sabbah College (now Sardauna Memorial Secondary School), Kaduna. Subsequently, he enrolled in a Pre-Degree program at Abdullahi Bayero College, Kano, which facilitated his admission to the Faculty of Law at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he earned a degree in Law in 1977. He was called to the Nigerian Bar on July 2, 1977. Seeking further education, he pursued an LLM Degree at Warwick University in 1982, which he obtained in 1983.
Justice Dattijo took the oath of office as a Justice of the Supreme Court on July 10, 2012. His journey to the Court of Appeal was marked by hard work, passion for his profession, dedication, and a steadfast commitment to applying the law faithfully to all cases. He was elevated to the Court of Appeal on November 21, 1998, from the Niger State Judiciary, serving diligently in various Divisions.
Following his retirement, the judges expected to hear the pending appeals related to the 2023 general elections include 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.
With this development, it means that the remaining 10 Justices of the apex Court will also oversee the cases of the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi against the victory of President Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
