NJC acknowledges 14 judges' deaths and retirements, Supreme Court loses two justices
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has received notices of six retirements and nine deaths of judges across federal and state courts, acknowledged at its 112th meeting on November 3 chaired by CJN Kudirat Kekere-Ekun. The departures include two Supreme Court justices within two months: Ibrahim Saulawa retired September 29, and Uwani Musa Abba Aji retires November 7, leaving the apex court two short of its 21-justice full complement just months after reaching it in February.
Four other retirements: Justice O.F. Omoleye (Court of Appeal, retired October 6), Ogechi Okehielem (Abia State High Court, retired September 15), Theresa Isidore Obot (Akwa Ibom State High Court, retiring December 30), and Munir Muhammad Ladan (Kaduna State High Court, retiring December 31). Nine judges died between May 1 and September 26 across Federal High Court, state High Courts, Sharia Courts of Appeal, and Customary Courts of Appeal in Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Cross River, Kebbi, and Rivers states.
The NJC expressed profound appreciation for retired judges' service and extended condolences to families of the deceased. This continues a pattern where the Supreme Court has struggled for decades to maintain its constitutional complement of 21 justices—only reaching it for the first time in February 2024 after dropping to just 10 serving justices in 2023. The court regained full strength again in February 2025 with Justice Olubunmi Oyewole's elevation, but now faces another gap as vacancies accumulate faster than appointments.