The Court of Appeal has lost one of its eminent jurists, Justice Joseph Ikyegh of the Port Harcourt division, who was said to have suddenly slumped at his residence after a phone conversation.
He was aged 65, as Presiding Justice, Ikyegh headed the Port Harcourt Division of the appellate court and has left behind a rich legacy of legal jurisprudence and public service spanning over three decades.
Justice Ikyegh was among the initial number of justices nominated by the National Judicial Council as a Justice of the Supreme Court, but did not make the most recent list of eleven recommended for appointment to the Apex Court.
The late jurist who was number 10 on the Court of Appeal hierarchy and due to retire in 2028 was born in 1958 in Konshisha, Benue State. He was called to the Nigeria Bar in 1980.
He began his career at the Benue State High Court in 1991, before being elevated to the Court of Appeal in July 2010.
The late justice is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.