[R.I.P Justice] Charly Boy's Dad, Justice Oputa Dies At 90

Charly Boy's Dad, an eminent jurist and a former  Justice of the Supreme Court (JSC), Justice Chukwudifu Oputa is dead. The legal icon was said to have  died yesterday afternoon at the National Hospital in Abuja at the age of 90.

Justice Oputa, who would have been 90 in August, according to one of his sons, Geoffrey Oputa, suffered a relapse of the stroke he had in February this year and was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.......

more details about the late justice after jump


The late Justice Oputa was born on August 22, 1924 in Oguta, Imo State. He had his early education at the Sacred Heart School, Oguta and Christ the King College, Onitsha.

After  his secondary education, he attended the then Yaba Higher College.  But due to the exigencies of the Second World War, he was sent along with others to the famous Achimota College, Ghana, then Gold Coast, where he graduated with B.Sc (Hons) Economics in 1945.

After this, he came back to Nigeria and took up a teaching appointment with Calabari National College. He later came to Lagos where he worked as an Assistant District Officer (ADO). It was here that Justice Oputa achieved a remarkable feat as he studied at home and obtained his BA (Hons) History.

Justice Oputa then proceeded to London where he bagged his LLB (Hons) and was called to the Bar in Gray’s Inn, London.

Upon his return to Nigeria,  Oputa went into private practice, handling such celebrated cases and special inquiries as the Oguta Chieftaincy dispute 1958/ 59, the Amanyanabo Dispute 1956/ 60 and many more.

In 1966, Justice Oputa was appointed Judge of the High Court of the then Eastern Nigeria and moved on to become the first Chief Judge of Imo State 10 years later.

In 1984, he was elevated to the Supreme Court, from where he retired in 1989.

Justice Oputa would be remembered for chairing the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (HRVIC) otherwise known as the Oputa Panel. The late legal icon, was often referred to as the “Socrates of the Supreme Court” during an era that was regarded as the golden era.

May Your Gentle Soul Rest In Perfect Peace