Court to be named after Onejeme, ex-FCT judge

Court to be named after Onejeme, ex-FCT judge

The Chief Judge of FCT, Justice Ishaq Bello, said on Thursday during a valedictory session in honour of late Justice Victoria Onejeme, that a court would be named after her.

Bello said the honour was in appreciation for the services rendered during her life time as one of the pioneer judges of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“This jurisdiction bears eloquent testimonies of His Lordship’s quintessential excellence; her work cannot be forgotten in a hurry.

“She was very diligent, that was why with every sense of humility; we shall name one of the courts after her.

“By so doing, we hope that generations to come will know that indeed an amazon once lived and worked here.

Bello recalled that Onejeme was called to the English Bar in 1965 and later became the first female Attorney-General and Commission for justice in old Anambra in 1977.

“It is also on record that with her appointment as a judge of the High Court of the FCT in 1984, she thus became the first woman of Igbo extraction to be appointed a judge in Nigeria, “he said

Mr Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), who represented the body of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), said that the late judge had served the Lord and humanity.

“We are here to celebrate a worthy judge, who was bold, courageous and incorruptible, she has served the Lord and humanity with all herself, “he said.

Awomolo said her strength of character would help some judges and lawyers to keep the sanctity of the profession.

Dr Ejike Oji, son-in-law to the deceased, described her as an honest judge, who was feared when she was a magistrate in Enugu.

Oji said that the late judge carried the same virtue over to Abuja as one of the pioneer judges of the FCT High Courts as all who knew her testified.

Late Justice Victoria Onejeme, who hailed from Awka, Anambra, was born on Nov. 22, 1930 and died on April 27, 2017. NAN