By Lillian Okenwa
Forty-four years after the most senior judge in Kano State Judiciary was skipped for the position of Chief Judge on the basis of her sex, Hon. Justice Dije Abdu Aboki broke the jinx.
In 1979 when Hon. Justice Dahiru Musdapher who later became a Chief Justice of Nigeria, was appointed Chief Judge of Kano State, Hon. Aloma Mariam Mukhtar was the most senior judge in the state. It turned out however that the state was not yet ready for a female Chief Judge.
And even when Musdapher was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 1985, Aloma Mariam Mukhtar again had to serve under another male junior until her appointment to the Court of Appeal in 1987. She would eventually become the first female Chief Justice of Nigeria.
Then in 2015, Hon. Justice Patricia Mahmoud served briefly as Acting Chief Judge of the state from January to July of the same year. She later went up to the Court of Appeal.
But did Justice Dije Abdu Aboki ever imagine she would get to the position where she is today? Not exactly maybe. But as a young girl, she envisioned herself making an impressive impact on society. In a chat with Law & Society Magazine, Her Lordship shared some thoughts.
“As a child while in secondary school I always believed that I will be in a position where I can impact positively on society. My real reason for pursuing my education is to be able to make a difference in any way I can. I studied law because I’ve had a passion for justice from my secondary school days. I always feel that justice and fairness should prevail in all spheres of life. Again, there was a TV drama in the mid-70s that had to do with court which caught my interest.”
Born 10th July, 1964 in Kano, Dije Abdu Aboki is the mother of three lawyers and wife of Hon. Justice Abdu Aboki a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
“Three of my children are lawyers. The first one works with Federal Ministry of Justice Abuja but now on leave of absence as her husband is a defense attaché in Angola. The male is a senior Magistrate in kano while the third one a female is a Magistrate in FCT, Abuja,” she told Law & Society Magazine.
Her Lordship attended Tudun Wada Primary School, Kano between 1969 and 1973, Government Girls College Minna, Niger State, 1973 to 1978, School of Preliminary Studies, Airport Road, Kano, 1978 to 1980 (IJMB), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, 1980 to 1983 (LLB. Hons), Nigerian Law School, Lagos, 1983 to 1984 (BL), Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of Lagos, 1990 (Certificate In Advanced Practice And Procedure) and Centre For Effective Dispute Resolution (C.E.D.R) where she obtained a certificate in Medication and Conflict Resolution.
After her NYSC at Bayero University Kano (1984 – 1985), she was appointed as a State Counsel at the Ministry of Justice Kano. Justice Aboki was there from 1985 to 1986. Thereafter she became a Magistrate and then a Senior Magistrate; all between 1986 and 1992.
In 1992 Dije Aboki became a Chief Magistrate in Kano. She held that position untill 2006 when she was appointed a High Court Judge.
The CJ has also served in a number of committees including — Member, Local Government Election Petition Tribunal (1991). She attended the U.S International Visitors Program (IVP) on Judicial Reform and Rule of Law in 2004 and served as a Member of Edo State National Assembly Tribunal 2011.
Chief Judge Aboki is a member of several associations including:
– Magistrate Association of Nigeria
– Nigerian Bar Association
– International Bar Association
– International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Chairperson, Kano Chapter 1990 – 1992
- International Treasurer, International federation of women lawyers. (FIDA). 2003 – 2006
- International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) Assistant Secretary, Nigerian Chapter
On 6 July 2023, the kano State House of Assembly confirmed her appointment as the first female Chief Judge of the state. The appointment was approved following a letter sent to the House of Assembly by the State Governor Abba Yusuf.
Prior to her confirmation as the substantive Chief Judge, Aboki was appointed in March this year as Acting Chief Judge by the immediate past governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje.
