JUST IN: Kekere-Ekun emerges Chief Justice of Nigeria

Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria, following the retirement of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.

Currently, the second most senior justice on the Supreme Court, Justice Kekere-Ekun is set to become the second woman to hold this prestigious position in Nigeria’s history. She follows in the footsteps of Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, who served as Chief Justice from 2012 to 2014.

Born on May 7, 1958, the 66-year-old Justice Kekere-Ekun earned her LL.B from the University of Lagos in 1980 and obtained an LL.M from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1983. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1981.

Justice Kekere-Ekun's career began in private practice before she was appointed as a Senior Magistrate in Lagos State in 1989. She later became a High Court Judge in 1996 and served as the chairman of the Robbery and Firearms Tribunal in Lagos from 1996 to 1999.

Her judicial journey continued with her elevation to the Court of Appeal in 2004, where she served in various divisions, including presiding over the Makurdi and Akure Divisions. In July 2013, she was appointed to the Supreme Court as its fifth female justice.