Supreme court left with only 10 justices as Musa Dattijo retires from bench

Musa Dattijo Muhammad, a supreme court justice, will retire from the bench of the apex court on Friday.

The development will leave the apex court with only 10 justices.

In a statement on Sunday, Festus Akande, the court’s director press and information, said Olukayode Ariwoola, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), would preside over the valedictory session.

Born on October 27, 1953, Dattijo, who hails from Chanchaga LGA of Niger state, obtained his first school leaving certificate in 1966.

“Between 1967 and 1971, he was at Sheikh Sabbah College (now Sardauna Memorial Secondary School), Kaduna, from where he proceeded to Abdullahi Bayero College, Kano for a Pre-Degree programme which aided his immediate admission into the Faculty of Law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he bagged a degree in Law in 1977,” Akande said.

“He was called to the Nigerian Bar on 2nd July, 1977.

“Not satisfied with only a first Degree in Law, Justice Dattijo sought admission at Warwick University in 1982 for an LLM Degree which he obtained in 1983.

“He took the oath of office as Justice of the Supreme Court on Tuesday, 10th July, 2012. His ascension to the Court of Appeal was more of a reward for hard work, inherent passion for his chosen profession, dedication to duty, and above all, a resolute application of the law in its true letters and words to all cases that came to him.”

The director said before Dattijo was elevated to the apex court, he served in various divisions of the court of appeal between November 1998 and 2012.