Mohammed Bello (jurist)

Mohammed Bello was born into a titled Fulani family in Katsina, his father Muhammadu Gidado was the Mufti of the Katsina Emirate (chief Islamic jurist to the Emir);[2] and descendant of Mallam Isyaka Daura, a contemporary of Uthman dan Fodio, founder of the Sokoto Caliphate.[3] His mother Hajiya Aisha grew up with her relatives in the royal household of Muhammadu Dikko.

He received early religious education at home and with illustrious Islamic scholars before proceeding to the Katsina Elementary School in 1938, and moved to Katsina Middle School in 1942. He attended Barewa College from 1945 to 1948.[4] Bello then proceeded to the University College Ibadan where he studied Latin alongside childhood friend Justice Mamman Nasir. Between 1953 and 1956, he received legal instruction and was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in London.

He returned to Nigeria in 1956, and was appointed a Crown counsel to the Government of Northern Nigeria in Kaduna. In this role, he served the Crown as a colonial civil servant and prosecuted in the name of the Queen through independence in 1960.[5] In 1961, he became the first chief magistrate in Northern Nigeria. In 1962, he spent a year at the Harvard Law School. He became Director of Public Prosecution in Northern Nigeria, in 1964.[6]

The fall of the First Republic and the militarization of law and politics led to the Nigerian Civil War, Bello was made a high court judge in Kaduna, in 1966, and was acting and later Chief Justice of Northern Nigeria between 1969 and 1975. After nine years as a judge in the high courts of Northern Nigeria, Bello was appointed by military head of state Murtala Mohammed to the Supreme Court of Nigeria.[7]

At the Supreme Court, he gained respect amongst his peers for his interpretation of the law and upholding the principles of the court in judicial matters.[8] Bello was awarded the Order of the Niger in two classes – Commander of the Order of the Nigeria; and, in 1987, Grand Commander of the Order of Niger. He also received several honours, including from the World Jurist Association in Montreal; conferred honorary doctorates from the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, and Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria.

In 1987, Bello became the first Chief Justice of Nigeria from Northern Nigeria. As chief justice, he steered the wheels of the judiciary towards the rule of law and largely attempted to check the military's use of force in the administration of justice. He nonetheless, viewed the supremacy of power as legitimate an action which drew him criticism as a military apologist.[9]

In 1995, he retired from the bench and became a statutory member of the Council of State. He was involved as either patron, trustee or adviser to several associations including Chairman of Katsina Foundation, Gamji Members’ Association, Barewa Old Boys Association, and the Nigerian Bar Association. Mohammed Bello died on 4 November 2004.[10]

• Justice Kuti, Mohammed Bello: Honorauble Gentleman, Eminent Jurist, GLJ Press
• Nigerian Vanguard, Nov 5, 2004, Justice Bello
• Xinhua News Agency, September 28, 1994, Concord Journalists
• Thisday, Nigeria November 23, 2004, Justice Bello