Buhari appoints 2 supreme court justices

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Ejembi Eko and Amina Augie as justices of the supreme court.

Soji Oye, acting director of information for the National Judicial Council (NJC), disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.

The appointment followed NJC’s earlier recommendation of the two candidates to the president.

Ac‎cording to Oye, Mahmud Mohammed, the outgoing chief justice of Nigeria, will swear in the two justices, who were formerly of the court of appeal, on Monday.

Mohammed will be retiring on November 10.

By the time the CJN retires, the number of the justices of the apex court will be 15.

“The two honourable justices will be sworn-in by the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Hon. Justice Mahmud Mohammed, GCON, on Monday 7th November, 2016 at 2.00 pm in the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” the statement read.

Eko, an indigene of Benue state, was born May 23, 1952. He attended Wesley high school, Otukpo, Benue state before proceeding to the University of Ife between 1973 and 1976, where he obtained Bachelors of law (LL.B).

He was a high court judge in Benue state before being appointed a justice in the court of appeal.

Augie hails from Kebbi state. She was born on September 3, 1953. Augie started her career as legal aide officer in Sokoto in 1979. She rose to the position of the chief magistrate of Sokoto.

She was a high court judge in the state between 1992 and 2002, and was appointed as a justice in the court of appeal in 2002.

Adamu Augie, her husband, was a senator. He died in 2001.