Mukhtar out, Mohammed in as CJN

The senate has confirmed President Goodluck Jonathan’s nomination of Mahmud Mohammed as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

He succeeds Aloma Mukhtar (pictured), who will be retiring on Thursday, after attaining the mandatory age of 70.

Mukhtar goes into history as the first female chief justice of Nigeria.

Upon the recommendation of the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), Jonathan sent his name to the upper chamber of the national assembly last week.

Mohammed, who hails from Taraba state, was born on  November 10, 1946.

He studied for his Bachelor’s degree in Law (LL.B) at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, graduating in 1970, after which he attended the Nigerian Law School in Lagos and was subsequently called to bar in 1971.

The new chief judge started his career at the defunct Gongola state and was appointed as the chief judge of Taraba in 1991.

He was a justice of the court of appeal until 2005 when he was elevated to the supreme court.