Hon. Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme
By Ben Obiora
Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme is the daughter of former Governor of Rivers State, Dr Peter Odili, and Justice Mary Odili, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court.
She is married to Mr Uzoma Nwosu-Iheme, the son of Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, a Justice of the Court of Appeal.
She was sworn in as a Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, alongside 20 others on Tuesday, November 23, 2021 by then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad.
As of April, 2025, Justice Nwosu-Iheme, who was born and raised in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria, where she had her early education, had served almost four years as a High Court judge.
On April 28, 2025, she sentenced Mr Peter Nwachukwu, husband of the late gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu, to death by hanging, having found him guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of his wife on April 8, 2022.
The late gospel singer Osinachi and her husband.
Despite her public position, she maintains a very private life, with only limited information available about her personal affairs.
Details about her educational background are sparse, though it is known that she attended a campus of the Nigerian Law School.
This is unlike her mother, who is a thriving personality in the media with robust information about her private life and legal odyssey.
Her rise to prominence came after her appointment as a judge of the FCT High Court. Her appointment and subsequent judicial activities brought her private life under public scrutiny.
Her appointment as a judge was trailed by controversy, as critics alleged that nepotism influenced her selection, citing her powerful family background and marriage into another judicial family.
However, the National Judicial Council (NJC) defended the appointments, affirming that all selected candidates, including her, met the necessary qualifications.
She has apparently stepped into Justice Mary Odili’s shoes in the Nigerian judiciary echelon, following her mother’s retirement in May 2022.
Her ruling on the death of the late gospel singer is so far the most popular and widely discussed case of her career as a judge.
She is widely recognized for her strong work ethics and commitment to the legal profession.
