Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi is reported to have died at the weekend in a London hospital aged 78. In a statement from Awassam Bassey, the Senior Special Assistant on media, to the incumbent CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen said the CJN on behalf of the judiciary has already commiserated with the family of the late legal icon.
The statement added that the CJN has also directed that the Nigerian national flag in the premises of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, the CJN’s official residence in the Three Arms Zone of Abuja, all judiciary institutions including the National Judicial Council (NJC), the National Judicial Institute (NJI) and the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC), as well as all Courts of Records in the country be flown at half-staff for a duration of seven days, as a mark of deserved honour to the late jurist.
In a similar development, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, expressed sadness over the death of Justice Kutigi. Atiku said his death has robbed the country and the judiciary of one of the best legal minds whose contribution to democracy cannot be easily forgotten. The PDP presidential flagbearer recalled that as the chairman of the 2014 National Conference, Kutigi demonstrated admirable wisdom and remarkable leadership in handling such delicate national assignment.
