S’Court Holds Valedictory Session For Late Justice Ogwuegbu, Wed

The Supreme Court of Nigeria will hold a valedictory court session on Wednesday, May 14, to honour the late Justice Emmanuel Ogwuegbu, a former Justice of the court who passed away in October last year.

The session is scheduled to take place at 2.pm in the main courtroom of the Supreme Court.

A statement issued yesterday by the Director of Information and Public Relations of the apex Court, Dr Festus Akande, revealed that the late judicial icon died peacefully in his sleep on October 28, 2024, at the age of 91.

Born on March 16, 1933, in Amainyi, Ihitte-Uboma Local Government Area of Imo State, Justice Ogwuegbu rose from a humble background to become a towering figure in the legal profession.

He was appointed a judge of the High Court of Imo State in November 1976, serving as Administrative Judge of the Owerri Judicial Division from 1976 to 1979. He later served in the same capacity in the Aba Judicial Division in 1980.

Elevated to the Court of Appeal in September 1987, Justice Ogwuegbu served in the Ibadan and Lagos Divisions before his appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in April 1992.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the judiciary, he was seconded by the Federal Government to serve on the Supreme Court bench of The Gambia from December 1999 to 2002.

He returned to Nigeria to continue his meritorious service at the Supreme Court until his retirement on 16 March 2003.

The valedictory session will be presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun.

Tributes will be paid to the late Justice Ogwuegbu by the Chief Justice and other key stakeholders in the nation’s justice sector.

The session will also be attended by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).