By Fadehan Oyeyemi
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola will on Wednesday, September 20, administer oath of office on the newly appointed nine Justices of the Court of Appeal.
The new Appellate Court Justices are to be inaugurated at the Main Court auditorium of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
A statement on Sunday by the Supreme Court’s Director of Press and Information, Dr Festus Akande, indicated that the CJN will administer oath of office on the new Court of Appeal Justices by 11:00 am.
The new appellate court Justices are: Hannatu Azumi Laja-Balogun from Kaduna State, who was appointed a High Court Judge on 24th May, 1999; Binta Fatima Zubairu from Kaduna State, appointed a High Court Judge on 31st October, 2001; and Peter Chudi Obiora from Anambra State, who was sworn-in as High Court Judge on 17th January, 2005.
Others are Justices Okon Efreti Abang from Akwa Ibom State, who was appointed a High Court Judge on 22nd June, 2009; Asma’u Musa Mainoma from the Federal Capital Territory, appointed High Court Judge on 1st February, 2013; Lateef Adebayo Ganiyu from Oyo State, who became High Court Judge on 26th June, 2014; and Jane Esienanwan Iyang from Cross River State, who was sworn-in as High Court Judge on 12th February, 2015.
The rest are Hadiza Rabiu Shagari from Sokoto State, who was elevated to the High Court Bench on 12th February, 2015; and Paul Ahmed Bassi from Borno State, appointed to the High Court on 14th July, 2017.
Meanwhile, Justice Amina Adamu Augie will formally retire from the Supreme Court’s Bench on Thursday, 21st September, 2023, having attained the mandatory retirement age of 70 years on Sunday, 3rd September, 2023.
The traditional valedictory court session in her honour which ought to have taken place in September 3 was delayed due to the annual vacation of the Court which ended on Friday, 15th September, 2023.
Justice Amina Augie was sworn in as Justice of Supreme Court on 7th November, 2016. She graduated with a Second Class Upper Division in Law from University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1977 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978.
With Justice Augie’s retirement, the Supreme Court is now left with 11 Justices as against the Constitutionally stipulated 22 Justices.
The remaining Justices on the Apex Court bench are Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Olukayode Ariwoola, Musa Dattijo, Kudirat Motomori Kekere-Ekun, John Inyang Okoro, Uwani Abba Aji, Garba Lawal and Helen Morenikeji Ogunwumiju.
The rest are Ibrahim Saulawa, Adamu Jauro, Tijjani Abubakar and Emmanuela Akomaye Agim.
It will be recalled that Justice Centus Chima Nweze of the Supreme Court passed away on July 14, 2023.
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