Chukwudifu Akunne Oputa

Ogbuagu Chukwudifu Oputa (22 September 1924 – 4 May 2014) was a Nigerian jurist who was Judge of the Supreme Court of Nigeria from 1984 to 1989. He was appointed in 1999 by Olusegun Obasanjo to head the Oputa panel which investigated human right abuses by former military juntas and submitted their findings in 2003. A member of the Nigerian chieftaincy system, he held the title Ogbuagu and often used it as a pre-nominal honorific.

Early life and education Chukwudifu Oputa was born on 22 September 1924 in Oguta to Chief Oputa Uzukwu and Madam Nwametu Oputa. His father, an Igbo chieftain, was married to 10 wives. He fathered multiple children, of which Chukwudifu was the last. He started his education at the Sacred Heart School, Oguta from 1930 to 1936 and then proceeded to the Christ the king College, Onitsha for his post primary education from 1937 to 1940 where he obtained his West Africa Senior School Certificate.

After the war, Oputa was a principal of Kalabari National College, Buguma until 1948, and between 1949 and 1951 was Administrative Officer, Nigerian Secretariat.

Law career Oputa came back to Nigeria where he set up a private law firm and practiced for years, handling multiple high-profile cases including the Oguta Chieftaincy Title dispute in 1959 and the Amayenabo dispute in 1960. He died on 4 May 2014 due to a minor illness.

Awards and honours In appreciation of his service to Nigeria, he was conferred with the National Honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) by President Goodluck Jonathan.