The late CJN Ibrahim Muhammad
By Abdul Hassan
Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad is dead.
A family source disclosed this to our correspondent on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the incident.
He confirmed that the late jurist passed away barely two weeks to his 72nd birthday in an undisclosed hospital in Saudi Arabia, while receiving treatment.
“Ex-CJN Tanko Muhammad is dead. He passed away this morning at a Saudi Arabian Hospital,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Association of Muslim Law Students has in a condolence message on Tuesday described the development as a huge blow to Nigeria and the nation’s judiciary.
“Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return,” the statement read.
“His demise is a monumental loss to the Nigerian judiciary, the legal profession, the Muslim Ummah, and the nation at large.
“Throughout his judicial career, he exemplified the highest ideals of the Bench — fairness, courage, and fidelity to the rule of law,” the group said.
The late Justice Muhammad served for decades in the Nigerian judiciary, eventually rising to the nation’s highest judicial office.
He resigned as CJN in June 2022, 18 months earlier than his scheduled retirement at age 70 on 31 December 2023, citing ill health.
His abrupt exit from office came amid a raging crisis in the Supreme Court following allegations by his 14 colleagues on the Supreme Court bench that he was hampering the operations of the court.
They had alleged in a leaked memo that he failed to fund judges’ welfare as well as fuel generators, among other essential services.
Born in Giade Local Government Area of Bauchi State in 1953, the deceased
attended Government Secondary School, Azare, where he obtained the West Africa School Certificate in 1973.
He later proceeded to the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he bagged a Bachelor’s of Islamic law in 1980.
He later obtained a Master’s and a Doctorate of Law from the same university in 1985 and 1998, respectively.
