One Supreme Court Judge Set to Retire Hours to Hearing Of Appeals On Presidential Tribunal Judgement

Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad is set to retire from the Supreme Court Bench on Friday, October 27, 2023, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 years.

According to a statement released on Sunday by Dr. Festus Akande, the Director of Press and Information of the Supreme Court, a valedictory court session will be held in honor of the retired Justice at the Main Courtroom of the Supreme Court on the specified date.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will preside over this special court session and pay tribute to Justice Musa Dattijo, alongside other prominent figures in the nation’s justice sector.

Born on Tuesday, October 27, 1953, in Minna, Justice Dattijo hails from Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State. He attended Native Primary School, Minna, from 1960 to 1966, obtaining his First School Leaving Certificate.

Between 1967 and 1971, he pursued his education at Sheikh Sabbah College (now Sardauna Memorial Secondary School) in Kaduna. Following this, he embarked on a Pre-Degree program at Abdullahi Bayero College, Kano, which facilitated his direct entry into the Faculty of Law at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained his Law degree in 1977. He was called to the Nigerian Bar on July 2, 1977.

Seeking further academic achievements, he pursued an LLM Degree at Warwick University in 1982, which he successfully obtained in 1983. He was sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court on July 10, 2012.

Justice Dattijo’s elevation to the Court of Appeal was a testament to his diligence, passion for his profession, commitment to his duties, and most importantly, his unwavering adherence to the law in its truest form in all cases presented before him. He was elevated from the Niger State Judiciary to the Court of Appeal on November 21, 1998, and served with distinction in various Divisions.

With Justice Dattijo Muhammad’s retirement, the Supreme Court of Nigeria now comprises ten Justices.

With retirement of Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad next Friday, the most senior JSC will be Hon Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. She has 5 years to go before retirement on May 7, 2028, which means, by convention (of seniority), she will succeed current CJN when he retires Aug 22, 2024.

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