Late former CJN, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, (in set above).
By Advocatenewsng.com
A former Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, GCON, has left his earthly cloak in a faraway Saudi Arabian Hospital, according to Sahara Reporters.
It is not yet disclosed which illness he was being treated before he finally kicked the bucket.Justice Muhammad was the CJN who was appointed by late President Muhammadu Buhari to replace his predecessor, Justice Walter Onoghen, GCON, who was forced to retire before his mandatory age of retirement on trumped up charges of misdemeanor at the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB. He has long been discharged and acquitted and given a clean bill as he is as free as every other innocent Nigerian.
May the soul of the passing CJN, Tanko Muhammad, awaken in the Beyond to join in joyful activities that are different from his call of duty while he was in the flesh and sitting to judge other mortals.
We pray that God forgives his misgivings and grant him a peaceful transition to the Luminous Heights of Eternal Development.
Ibrahim Muhammad Tanko, GCON (31 December 1953 – 16 December 2025) was a Nigerian jurist, who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 2006 to 2022 and as Chief Justice of Nigeria from 2019 until his resignation in June 2022. He was formerly a Justice of the Nigerian Courts of Appeal.
Early life
Tanko, a Fulani, was born on 31 December 1953 at Doguwa – Giade, a local government area in Bauchi State, Northern Nigeria.
He attended Government Secondary School, Azare where he obtained the West Africa School Certificate in 1973 before he later proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University where he received an LL.B. degree in Islamic law in 1980. He later obtained his LL.M. and Ph.D. in law from the same university in 1985 and 1998, respectively.
Career
Tanko began his career in 1982, after he was called to the bar in 1981, the same year he graduated from the Nigerian Law School.
In 1989, he was appointed as Chief Magistrate of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, a position he held until 1991 when he became a Judge at the Bauchi State Sharia Court of Appeal. He served in that capacity for two years before he was appointed to the bench of the Nigerian Courts of Appeal as Justice in 1993. He held this position for 13 years before he was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2006 but was sworn in on 7 January 2007.
On Thursday, 11 July 2019, Tanko was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as substantive CJN. It was less than 24 hours after National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended him to the president.
On 26 June 2022, Tanko resigned as the Chief Justice of Nigeria citing ill health as the reason for his decision.
Controversies
Corruption
In a report by Peoples Gazette on 19 June 2022, Tanko was accused of diverting budgetary allocation of the Judiciary and denying Justices of the Supreme Court basic working tools and training. The leaked internal memo was signed by 14 Justices of the Supreme Court, an act described by pundits as unprecedented. Tanko was also accused of ferrying family members on International trips while neglecting Justices of the Supreme Court’s annual retreat.
A few days after the reports, Tanko resigned his position as the Chief Justice of Nigeria citing health issues. However, reports from news platforms in Nigeria debunk this, stating that Tanko was forced out of service by the country’s secret police over the allegations of corruption and misappropriation.
Personal life and death
Tanko was a Muslim.
On 16 December 2025, Tanko died in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. He was 71. His death was confirmed by the Nigerian Association of Muslim Law Students (NAMLAS).
Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun of the National Judicial Council (NJC) mourned Tanko. The Supreme Court of Nigeria, in mourning him also, noted his “dedication to the rule of law, judicial independence, and the fair administration of justice during his tenure”.
Award
In October 2022, a Nigerian national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) was conferred on him by President Muhammadu Buhari.
