Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad (retd.), is dead.
Aged 71, the former Chief Justice reportedly died in a Saudi Arabia hospital.
He would have turned 72 on December 31.
In place of Justice Walter Onnoghen, Tanko was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as substantive CJN on Thursday, 11th July 2019.
On 26 June 2022, he resigned as the Chief Justice of Nigeria citing ill health.
He was succeeded by Olukayode Ariwoola.
Sending condolences on Muhammad’s death on Tuesday in Abuja, the Nigerian Association of Muslim Law Students (NAMLAS) described his passing as a significant loss to the country.
NAMLAS condolence message said: “Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return.
“The Nigeria Association of Muslim Law Students (NAMLAS), National Headquarters, Abuja, receives with profound sorrow the news of the passing of Honourable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, GCON, former Chief Justice of Nigeria. His demise is a monumental loss to the Nigerian judiciary, the legal profession, the Muslim Ummah, and the nation at large.”
NAMLAS hailed Justice Muhammad as “a towering figure of integrity, humility, and unwavering commitment to justice.”
According to NAMLAS, throughout his judicial career, Muhammad “exemplified the highest ideals of the Bench—fairness, courage, and fidelity to the rule of law.”
“As Chief Justice of Nigeria, he discharged his responsibilities with wisdom and restraint, leaving behind a legacy of service that will continue to guide generations of legal practitioners,” the statement added.
Beyond his role on the Bench, the association noted the late jurist’s mentorship of young Muslim law students across the country.
“To NAMLAS, the late Chief Justice was more than a jurist; he was a fatherly pillar and a source of encouragement to Muslim law students across the country,” it said.
The association also highlighted that the deceased’s “support, moral guidance, and openness to the aspirations of young Muslim legal minds reflected his deep belief in mentorship, continuity, and the nurturing of future custodians of justice.”
He resigned from office roughly one week after 14 justices of the Supreme Court wrote a protest letter to him concerning the way he has been running the affairs of the apex court.
He was born in the Doguwa-Giade local government area of Bauchi State and obtained an LL.B degree in Islamic Law in 1980 from Ahmadu Bello University.
Five years later, he bagged an LL.M. degree from the school and in 1998, he received a PhD in law from the same university.
He was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2006 but was sworn in on January 7, 2007.
