₦airaland Forum

A former Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Adolphus Karibi-Whyte is dead.

Described as one of the most erudite and scholarly Justices of the apex court, Justice Karibi-Whyte passed on in Port Harcourt at the age of 88.

He is survived by his 7 children, namely ASIKIYA, TONYE, GOGO, ABIYE, TOKINI, SODIGI and NENGI.

According to a citation posted on the Hallmarks of Labour Foundation website, his professional career took him through the Nigerian and international judicial systems.

Appointed Legal Draftsman in the Rivers State Ministry of Justice in 1973, the legal luminary successively attained the ranks of Solicitor-General, in that Ministry and Associate Professor of Law, University of Lagos.

In 1976, he was appointed a Judge of the Federal Revenue Court and thus began an illustrious judicial career, which took him through the Court of Appeal from 1980, and the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 1984, thus making him the second Nigerian after Dr. T.O. Elias, to move directly from academia to the judiciary. During this time he also served as Chairman of several Commissions of Inquiry including the Counterfeit Tribunal and the Inquiry into the Nigerian Agricultural and Co-operative Bank. He was also appointed as Judge, International Criminal Tribunal on November 7, 1993, and Chairman Nigerian Constitutional Conference between 1994/95.

Unarguably, a quintessential jurist, a scholar par excellence, an intellectual colossus and consummate judicial officer, he was a man driven by his passion for justice according to law, firmly undergirded by his resolute and reputed integrity.

His ad-hoc appointments have been no less inspiring. They include: Chairman, Counterfeit Currency Tribunal, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities, Law Report Committee of the Federal High Court, Civil Disturbances Tribunal, Committee for the Unification & Reform of the Criminal Code, Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Act & Criminal Procedure Code, Nigerian Constitutional Conference of 1994-1995. Honourable Justice Karibi-Whyte was also Judge and Vice-President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, sitting at the Hague.

He authored thirteen books and 55 academic publications in local and international learned journals, and is very much in demand for speaking engagements in his field.

A gentleman of indisputably stellar accomplishments, Hon Justice Karibi-Whyte was a Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) (1998), and also Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) (2008). He was happily married to Mrs. Faith Asareme Karibi-Whyte. They are blessed with seven children.

Justice Karibi-Whyte was born on January 29, 1932.

The late judge, a native of Abonnema, Rivers, attended Kalabari National College Buguma, Rivers, from 1946 to 1950 and worked as a clerk of a court from 1951 to 1957.

Karibi-Whyte obtained an LL.B. from the University of Hull, England, in 1960 and was called to the bar in the Middle Temple a year afterwards.

In September 1962, he obtained an LL.M. from the University of London and in 1970, he obtained a Ph.D from the University of Lagos.

SpecialAdviser:
May God judge him the way he judged us.

RIP

GOFRONT:
Hmmm......What an Incorruptible Judge..

Goodnight

ValCon888:
He was a judge for many years. Now let him go and meet the REAL JUDGE

fergie001:
https://ait.live/former-supreme-court-justice-karibi-whyte-dies-at-88/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
mynd44 lalasticlala

Niaja4real:
He was a man of integrity and forthrightness, and not like all this corrupt judges we have today.
RIP to him.

Chikelue2000:
funny how life is.....now he is to be judged by the only Judge.....I wish we take time to check our lives.....where will u spend eternity.....death comes once...after that judgement.....