The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Tanko Muhammad, has resigned.The CJN’s resignation was made public Monday morning and confirmed to ASKLEGALPALACE by his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Yusuf Isah.

Here are 10 things to know about Tanko Muhammad:

Origin

1 – Justice Tanko Muhammad, a Fulani, was born on December 31, 1953.

2 – He hails from Doguwa, in the Giade Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

Education

3 – He attended Giade Primary School from 1961 to 1968 and proceeded to Government Secondary School, Azare, in 1969 where he obtained the West Africa School Certificate in 1973.

4 – For his tertiary education, Tanko attended the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received an LL.B. degree in Islamic Law, from 1976 to 1980.

5 – He later obtained an LL.M. degree and a Ph.D in law from the same university in 1985 and 1998 respectively.

Career

6 – Tanko was called to bar in 1981, the same year he graduated from the Nigerian Law School, and began his career in 1982.

7 – Tanko held the following positions and professional appointments:

Magistrate Grade II with Bauchi State Judiciary (1982 – 1984) Magistrate Grade I & Ag. Snr Magistrate Grade II ( 1984 – 1986) Senior Magistrate II (May 1986 – July 1986) Provost, College of Legal and Islamic Studies, Bauchi (1986 to 1989) Deputy Chief Registrar/Chief Magistrate, FCT High Court (1989 – 1991) Judge (Kadi), Bauchi Region Sharia Court of Appeal (1991 – 1993) Justice of the Court of Appeal (1993 – 2006)

8 – He was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 2006 but was sworn in on January 7, 2007.

9 – Tanko was nominated by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on July 11, 2019, and sworn in as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman National Judicial Council on July 24, 2019.

10 – Tanko Muhammad resigned as the CJN on Monday, June 27, 2022.

In this article: