Late Supreme Court Justice Emmanuel Olayinka Ayoola To Be Buried In Ilesha On November 11
Retired Supreme Court Justice Emmanuel Olayinka Ayoola, who passed away on August 20, 2024, at the age of 90, will be laid to rest in his hometown of Ilesha, Osun State, on November 11, 2024. His family has announced that memorial events will begin with a Valedictory Court session at the Supreme Court in Abuja at 2 p.m. on the same day.
Born on October 27, 1933, in Ilesha, Justice Ayoola attended Temidire Model School (1939–1943) for his primary education and Ilesha Grammar School (1944–1950). He went on to earn his law degree from the University of London and a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence from Oxford University.
Justice Ayoola was called to the English Bar at Lincoln’s Inn on November 25, 1958. Returning to Nigeria, he was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court on September 4, 1959, and then established a private law practice. His judicial career began in 1976 when he was appointed to the High Court of Western Nigeria. He later served in various capacities abroad, including as a Justice of the Court of Appeal in Gambia and as Chief Justice of Gambia, as well as President of the Seychelles Court of Appeal. In Nigeria, he was elevated to the Supreme Court in 1998, serving until his retirement in 2003 at the age of 70.
Justice Ayoola was honored with the United Nations Human Rights Fellowship Award in 1966. His distinguished career also included serving as a Judge on the Residual Special Court’s Appeals Chamber, where he presided as President from May 2004 to 2005.
Following his retirement from the Supreme Court, Justice Ayoola took on significant roles in Nigeria’s public sector as Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and later as Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission.
