Nasir Ajanah

Justice Nasir Ajanah (1956 – 28 June 2020) was a Nigerian jurist who served as the Chief Judge of Kogi State from 2004 until his death in 2020. Before his appointment as Chief Judge, he served as a Judge of the High Court in Kwara State and later in Kogi State following the creation of the state in 1991. During his tenure, he chaired several judicial commissions and election petition tribunals, and became nationally known for his advocacy of judicial independence and his constitutional dispute with the Kogi State Government over the attempted removal of a sitting Chief Judge.

Early life and education

Ajanah was born in 1956 in Okene, present-day Kogi State, to the family of Alhaji M. J. Fari Ajanah. He attended Native Authority (Central) Primary School, Okene, between 1962 and 1968 before proceeding to Federal Government College, Keffi, where he obtained both his School Certificate and Higher School Certificate. He later studied law at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and attended the Nigerian Law School, where he qualified as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Legal career

Ajanah began his legal career as a State Counsel with the Kwara State Ministry of Justice between 1982 and 1984. He subsequently established the law firm Nasiru Ajanah & Co. in Okene, where he practised until 1989. In 1990, he was appointed a Judge of the Kwara State High Court. Following the creation of Kogi State in 1991, his appointment was transferred to the Kogi State Judiciary.

He served in several judicial divisions including Ankpa, Isanlu, Okene and Lokoja. He also chaired the Kabba Disturbance Tribunal (1994), Election Petition Tribunals in Adamawa State (1998), Akwa Ibom State (2007) and Rivers State (2008), and the Panel of Inquiry into the Murtala Muhammed International Airport fire incident (2000). Between 1999 and 2006, he served as a member of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS).

Chief Judge of Kogi State

Ajanah became Chief Judge of Kogi State in 2004. During his tenure, he consistently advocated financial autonomy for the judiciary, arguing that judicial independence was essential for the rule of law and democratic governance.

He also promoted reforms in court administration, urging court registrars to uphold integrity, transparency and professionalism in the discharge of their duties.

Attempted removal

In 2018 and 2019, the Kogi State House of Assembly initiated proceedings seeking Ajanah's removal over allegations of gross misconduct. The action attracted widespread criticism from legal practitioners and the Nigerian Bar Association, which maintained that the Constitution requires the involvement of the National Judicial Council before a Chief Judge can be removed from office.

A High Court sitting in Koton Karfe subsequently ruled that neither the executive nor the legislature could remove the Chief Judge without the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, thereby nullifying the Assembly's resolution.

Death

Ajanah died on 28 June 2020 at a COVID-19 isolation centre in Gwagwalada, Abuja, aged 64. His death occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and was widely reported by national media. Tributes described him as a distinguished jurist whose career was marked by commitment to justice and judicial independence.