George Sodeinde Sowemimo

Chief George Sodeinde Sowemimo, GCON (8 November 1920 – 29 November 1997) was a Nigerian Jurist and Chief Justice of Nigeria from 1983 to 1985.[2][3] Prior to becoming a Supreme Court judge, Sowemimo is remembered as the judge in the treasonable felony charge of the State v Omisade and others.[4]

George Sodeinde Sowemimo
GCON SAN CON
Chief Justice of Nigeria
In office
1983–1985
Preceded byAtanda Fatai Williams
Succeeded byAyo Gabriel Irikefe
Personal details
Born8 November 1920
Died29 November 1997(1997-11-29) (aged 77)[1]
Political partyNon partisian

Law career

Sowemimo was born in Zaria on 8 November 1920, the son of Sofoluwe and Rebecca Sowemimo. He attended Holy Trinity School, Kano and then proceeded to C.M.S. Grammar School, Lagos. He worked briefly with the Nigerian Railway Corporation from 1941 to 1944. He received a bachelor's degree in Law from the University of Bristol in 1948 and also trained at Middle Temple for one year before he returned to Nigeria to set up his own law firm.[5] He was appointed a magistrate in 1951 and later became a Chief Magistrate in 1956, he was elevated to the position of judge in the High Court of Lagos in 1961. In 1972, he was appointed a justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court. After several years of services in the Nigerian Judiciary, he was appointed Chief Justice of Nigeria in 1983 to succeed the late Justice Atanda Fatai Williams.[6] Sowemimo retired in 1985 having attained the statutory retirement age of 65.[7] He gave the verdict of the Treason-able Felony trial of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and twenty-six of his associates.[8]

References
  1. George Sodeinde Sowemimo's obituary
  2. "Prisons and human rights abuses in Nigeria (2)". The Punch - Nigeria's Most Widely Read Newspaper. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  3. "N65m alleged theft: EFCC arraigns Speaker's PA". Vanguard News. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  4. Ogundere, J. D. (1994). The Nigerian judge and his court. Ibadan. University Press. P. 97
  5. "Femi Fani-Kayode @ 54". Vanguard News. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  6. "Federal Judicial Service Commission". fjsconline.gov.ng. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  7. Bamgbose, Olatokunbo John (7 December 2013). Digest of Judgements of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. ISBN 9789788431404. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  8. Ajiroba Yemi Kotun. "The Titans' War". TheNigerianVoice. Retrieved 26 April 2015.


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