11/06/2026
In MemoriamποΈ 1953 β 11 June 2018.
The Honourable Chief Judge Emeritus of Enugu State, Nigeria, Justice Prof. Innocent Umezulike (OFR, FCIArb, FIIAN), served humanity and his fatherland with distinction within the realm of law. He became the first Professor of Law in Eastern Nigeria to be appointed Chief Judge of a State and retired as the longest-serving Chief Judge in South West-Eastern Nigeria.
From his university days, he demonstrated academic excellence, emerging as the Best LL.M. Student at the University of Lagos. He also served on the Editorial Board of the Nigerian Bar Journal from 1992 to 1993.
As a judicial officer, he served as a member of the Governorship and Legislative Houses Election Tribunals for Enugu and Anambra States in 1991/92 and later as a Tribunal Member for Plateau State in August and September 1992. In February 1996, Justice Umezulike led the Nigerian Delegation to the Asian-African Legal Consultative Assembly in Kampala, Uganda.
His contributions extended beyond the judiciary. He served as Secretary of the Task Force on Companies Incorporated by Guarantee in Nigeria from January to September 1993 and, in the same year, became Secretary of the National Committee on the Unification of Criminal Laws and Procedures in Nigeria. He was also Editor of the Justice Journal (1993 Series) and a member of the Editorial Board of the University of Lagos Journal of Private and Property Law.
Justice Umezulike further served as Secretary of the Ministerial Committee for the Revision of the Land Use Act in 1993 and later as Chairman of the Failed Banks Tribunal, Zone 6, Lagos, from 1998 to 2000. In 1999, he was appointed Chairman of the Composite Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Land Distribution and Allocation in Enugu State.
In academia, his Lordship retired as a Professor Emeritus of Land and Property Law, having taught across eight universities in Nigeria and beyond. A prolific scholar, he authored over 120 published journal articles and 28 books, including, ABC of Contemporary Land Law in Nigeria. Nominated to serve on the Supreme Court of The Gambia and awarded Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).
