A justice of the Supreme Court, Musa Dattijo, has officially announced his retirement from the bench beginning on Friday, October 27, 2023.
This comes weeks after the retirement of Justice Amina Augie on September 22, 2023, and the death of Justice Chima Nweze on July 31, 2023.
With this development, the apex court has been reduced to 10 justices, 11 short of the 21 stipulated by Section 230(2) of the 1999 Constitution.
In a statement announcing Dattijo’s retirement on Sunday, the Court Spokesperson, Festus Akande said a valedictory court session would be held in his honour on Friday.
The statement reads: “The valedictory court session to mark the retirement of justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad from the Supreme Court Bench comes up on Friday, October 27, 2023, at the Main Courtroom of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The Special Court Session is to be presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, who will customarily pay tribute to Justice Musa Dattijo alongside other major stakeholders in the nation’s justice sector.
“Justice Musa Dattijo, who hails from Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, was born on Tuesday, October 27, 1953, in Minna.
Also Read: Supreme Court won’t accept any document Atiku gets from U.S — Tinubu’s lawyers
“He took the oath of office as Justice of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 10, 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,” he stated.
[…] Also Read: Another Supreme Court justice bows out of service […]