UK to nominate Nigerian-born Dapo Akande for election to ICJ

The UK says it will nominate Dapo Akande, a professor of public international law at the University of Oxford, for election as a judge to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

In a statement, Joanna Roper, UK ambassador to the Netherlands and ICJ representative, said Akande will be nominated in 2026.

“The UK is pleased to announce that Professor Dapo Akande will be nominated for election as a judge to the International Court of Justice in 2026 by the UK National Group,” the statement reads.

Roper said Akande is an “outstanding” international lawyer “who will bring deep legal expertise and experience to the ICJ”.

She said Akande reflects the UK’s “firm commitment to international justice, human rights and the international rule of law”.

In November 2021, Akande was elected to the UN International Law Commission (ILC). He was co-nominated by the UK, Nigeria, Japan, Kenya, and Slovenia.

The ILC is a body of experts responsible for developing and codifying international law.

Akande was born and raised in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. He received his LLB at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

He is a renowned expert in public international law with more than 25 years of legal experience.

Akande began his legal career as a research assistant to Bola Ajibola (KBE SAN), a former attorney-general of Nigeria.

He has also worked as a counsel on international litigation before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Criminal Court (ICC), and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Akande has served as a consultant to several international organisations, including the ICC, UN, the African Union (AU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and the Commonwealth secretariat.