Umaru Abdullahi

Umaru Abdullahi
President of the Nigerian courts of appeals
In office 1999–2009
Personal details
Born	(1939-11-30)30 November 1939
Party	Non partisian

Umaru Abdullahi, CON (born November 30, 1939) is a Nigerian Jurist and former President of the Nigerian courts of appeals.

Law career

Justice Umaru was called to the English Bar in November 1966 and to the Nigeria Bar in 1968, and was appointed to the bench of the Nigerian courts of appeal in 1983 as Justice. In 1987, he got a transfer to Kastina State to assist in setting up of the state judiciary and three years later, he was appointed as President of the Nigerian courts of appeals, a position he held for ten years, between 1999 and 2009 and was succeeded by Justice Ayo Salami. A biography has been written about him titled, 'Once Upon Umaru' by Ibe Ikwechegh. Justice Abdullahi holds the prestigious title of Walin Hausa .

Education and early career

Abdullahi obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London in 1965. He was called to the English Bar in November 1966 and subsequently to the Nigerian Bar in 1968. He began his judicial career as a magistrate and later as a judge of the Kano State High Court before his appointment to the Court of Appeal bench in 1983.

Court of Appeal presidency

Abdullahi was appointed President of the Court of Appeal in 1999 by President Olusegun Obasanjo and served in that capacity for ten years until 2009, one of the longest tenures in the history of the court. During his tenure he oversaw several significant electoral petition tribunals and was awarded the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). He was succeeded as President of the Court of Appeal by Justice Ayo Salami in 2009.

See also

• List of Justice of the Nigerian courts of appeals