Ex-ICPC chair Emmanuel Ayoola dies at 90, Tinubu, Osun governor, mourn

Emmanuel Ayoola, a former Justice of Nigeria’s Supreme Court and an ex-chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has died at the age of 90.

The family announced Mr Ayoola’s death in a statement on Wednesday.

Mr Ayoola, born in Ilesa, Osun State, on 27 October 1933, retired from the Supreme Court bench on clocking the retirement age of 70 in 2003.

He rose to become the Chief Justice of the Gambia while on secondment to the country before returning to Nigeria in 1992.

Mr Ayoola, who served on Nigeria’s Supreme Court bench between 1998 and 2003, was appointed by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo as the chairperson of the ICPC in September 2005. He held the position until 2010 when he completed his tenure.

President Bola Tinubu extolled Mr Ayoola’s “steadfast dedication to justice, integrity, and courage throughout his remarkable career” on Wednesday.

“Justice Ayoola will always be remembered for his rare principles, discipline, brilliance, and impeccable jurisprudential knowledge,” the president was quoted as saying in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

He also extended his sympathies to the associates of the late jurist and members of the Nigerian judiciary, acknowledging the significant loss the jurist’s death meant to the legal community.

‘Great loss to Osun’

On Thursday, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State described Mr Ayoola’s death as a profound loss not only to the jurist’s family but also to the state and the entire nation.

“Justice Ayoola made Osun and Nigeria proud everywhere he went,” Governor Adeleke said in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed.

Ademola Adeleke

He hailed Mr Ayoola as a “true patriot” and a “hero of anti-corruption” whose legacy will endure.

Governor Adeleke prayed for the Ayoola family, asking for divine strength to bear their loss, and assured them they were alone in their grief.

‘Indelible mark’

Also, the incumbent ICPC chair, Musa Aliyu, described his predecessor as a leader with exceptional integrity, a sharp legal mind, and an unwavering commitment to justice, which set him apart as a towering figure in the legal profession.

Mr Aliyu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), noted Mr Ayoola’s international influence, his service as Chief Judge of The Gambia and his pivotal role at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The ICPC chair said these roles confirmed the jurist’s global dedication to upholding the rule of law.

“Justice Ayoola’s life and work have left an indelible mark on the legal profession, inspiring generations of lawyers and public servants,” Mr Aliyu said.

“unwavering in his commitment to the fight against corruption—a cause he championed with vigour and a deep sense of duty.”

Mr Aliyu noted that Mr Ayoola’s legacy will continue to guide and inspire the war against corruption, offering hope for a more just and fair society.

“The ICPC and the entire nation have lost a venerable elder statesman,” he said, adding that “his legacy will live on, providing a beacon for those committed to justice and the betterment of society.”

Profile

Born about 90 years ago, Mr Ayoola studied as an external student of the University of London and was a full-time undergraduate at Oxford University London from 1957 to 1959.

He obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree, LLB, from the University of London in 1957 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oxford with Honours in Jurisprudence. In May 1957, he passed the Bar Final Examination of the Council of Legal Education, London and was called to the English Bar at the Lincoln’s Inn, London, on 25 November 1958.

He was admitted to the Nigerian bar on 4 September 1959 and started a private legal practice that same year.

After 17 eventful years as a legal practitioner, Mr Ayoola was appointed a judge of the High Court in the defunct Western Nigeria on 1 February 1976. Three months later, he became a judge of the High Court of Oyo State following the creation of 19 states by the regime of the then Head of State, Yakubu Gowon.

He was seconded by the Federal Government of Nigeria to the Gambia in 1980 as a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Gambia.

In 1983, he became the Chief Justice of the Gambia, a position he held until 1992 when his 12-year secondment to that country ended. His service to the country earned him the Gambian’ National Honour of the Commander of the National Order of the Republic of the Gambia’ (CRG) in 1990.

He returned to Nigeria in 1992 and was appointed a Justice of the Court of Appeal on 8 July 1992.

In 1998, he was elevated to the Supreme Court bench.

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He was on the Supreme Court bench until he retired in October 2003.

Shortly after retiring from the Supreme Court, he was appointed chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and served in that capacity until he was appointed chair of the ICPC in September. He remained chair of the ICPC until 2010.