CJ, SANs eulogise late pioneer Abuja judge, Onejeme

The Chief Judge (CJ) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Justice Ishaq Bello, has described the late pioneer judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Victoria Onejeme (rtd), as a diligent and incorruptible judge with an unquenchable thirst for justice.

The CJ, at a valedictory court session held in honour of the late judge, said she was the first female Attorney General (AG) in Nigeria when she was appointed to that position for Anambra State in 1977, and that she performed all judicial duties creditably, without blemish.

“In all, His Lordship performed all judicial duties without blemish and with a sense of honesty, patriotism and dedication. She had an unquenchable quest for justice which made her incorruptible,” he said.

Justice Bello said the late judge, who when appointed as the pioneer judge of the High Court of the FCT in 1984 became the first woman of Igbo extraction to be appointed a judge in Nigeria, “delivered several cerebral judgments and made several judicial pronouncements on crucial issues with jurisprudential excellence.”

He said it was in view of her contributions to the judiciary in the FCT that “with every sense of humility we named one of our courts after her. By so doing, we hope that generations to come will know that indeed an amazon once lived and worked here.”

Speaking on behalf of all the senior advocates at the ceremony, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) said the late Justice Onejeme served the country during the most difficult times to be a judge; the military era with its record of being a time with little regard for the rule of law.

He said the judiciary was not free from criticism during her time but that she served her God and humanity and “did not eat from the bread of corruption.”

Late Justice Victoria Ayodele Uzoamake Onejeme died on April 27, 2017 at age of 87.