Ibrahim Muhammad Tanko (born 31 December 1953) is a Nigerian
jurist
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...
, who served as a Justice of the
Supreme Court of Nigeria from 2006 to 2022 and as
Chief Justice of Nigeria
The Chief Justice of Nigeria or CJN is the head of the judicial arm of the government of Nigeria, and presides over the country's Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council. The current Chief Justice is Olukayode Ariwoola who was appo ...
from 2019 until his resignation in June 2022 citing ill-health as the reason for his decision. He was formerly a Justice of the
Nigerian Courts of Appeal.
Early life
Tanko is a Fulani, born on 31 December 1953 at
Doguwa - Giade, a local government area in
Bauchi State,
Northern Nigeria
Northern Nigeria was an autonomous division within Nigeria, distinctly different from the southern part of the country, with independent customs, foreign relations and security structures. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the United Kingd ...
.
He attended Government Secondary School, Azare where he obtained the West Africa School Certificate in 1973 before he later proceeded to
Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria is a federal government research university in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. ABU was founded on 4 October 1962, as the pioneer university in Northern Nigeria. It was founded and named after the Sardauna of Sokoto, Al ...
where he received an
LL.B. degree in Islamic law in 1980. He later obtained an
LL.M.
A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...
degree and a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...
in law from the same university in 1985 and 1998 respectively.
Legal career
Tanko began his career in 1982, after he was
called to the bar
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
in 1981, the same year he graduated from the
Nigerian Law School
The Nigerian Law School is an educational institution set up by the Government of Nigeria in 1962 to provide a Nigerian legal education to foreign-trained lawyers, and to provide practical training for aspiring Legal Practitioners in Nigeria. ...
.
In 1989, he was appointed as Chief Magistrate of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, a position he held until 1991 when he became a Judge at the Bauchi State Sharia Court of Appeal. He served in that capacity for two years before he was appointed to the bench of the
Nigerian courts of appeal as Justice in 1993. He held this position for thirteen years before he was appointed to the bench of the
Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2006 but was sworn in on 7 January 2007. On Thursday, 11 July 2019, Tanko was nominated by
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Muhammadu Buhari as substantive CJN. This was barely 24 hours after
National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended him to the president.
On Sunday, 26 June 2022, Tanko resigned as the
Chief Justice of Nigeria
The Chief Justice of Nigeria or CJN is the head of the judicial arm of the government of Nigeria, and presides over the country's Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council. The current Chief Justice is Olukayode Ariwoola who was appo ...
citing ill health as the reason for his decision.
Corruption
In exclusive reports by
Peoples Gazette
''Peoples Gazette'' is a Nigerian online newspaper based in Abuja. It launched in 2020. The online medium is notable for its investigative journalism, among other fields.
Launching
''Peoples Gazette'' was launched in 2020 by Samuel Ogundipe, a ...
on 19 June 2022, Tanko was accused of diverting budgetary allocation of the Judiciary and denying Justices of the Supreme Court basic working tools and training. The leaked internal memo was signed by 14 Justices of the Supreme Court, an act described by pundits as unprecedented. Tanko was also accused of ferrying family members on International trips while neglecting Justices of the Supreme Court's annual retreat.
A few days after the reports, Tanko resigned his position as the Chief Justice of Nigeria citing health issues. However, reports from news platforms in Nigeria debunk this stating that Tanko was forced out of service by the country’s secret police over the allegations of corruption and misappropriation.
Awards
In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of
Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) was conferred on him by President
Muhammadu Buhari.
See also
*
List of Justice of the Nigerian courts of appeals
References
1953 births
Nigerian jurists
People from Bauchi State
Living people
Supreme Court of Nigeria justices
Chief justices of Nigeria
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