Amiru Sanusi

Amiru Sanusi OFR (born 2 February 1950 in Funtua, Katsina State) is a Nigerian jurist and former Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, where he served from May 2015 until his mandatory retirement on 3 February 2020.

Education

Sanusi began his primary education at Gudindi Elementary School, Funtua in 1957 and completed it at Aya Primary School, Funtua in 1963. He attended Government Secondary School, Funtua before proceeding to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained a Diploma in Law in 1974 and an LLB degree in 1977.

Upon the creation of Katsina State, Sanusi served as its first Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in 1989, a position he voluntarily resigned in 1990 to accept appointment as a High Court Judge in Katsina State — a move widely praised for its patriotism given that he sacrificed a more politically influential and financially rewarding role for a life on the Bench. In 1998, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal, where he served for 16 years.

On 27 April 2015, Sanusi was elevated to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, where he served until his retirement on 3 February 2020 upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Recognition and legacy

At his valedictory court session on 3 February 2020, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, described Sanusi as an epitome of humility and untainted integrity, while the Nigerian Bar Association President Paul Usoro SAN described him as retiring unscathed and spotless and a role model for the legal profession. He was conferred with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Following his retirement, he published a book titled Finality and Infallibility, a collection of essays and reviews of some of his judgments, edited by Lanre Akinsola and Abdul Mohammed Esq.