JUSTICE CENTUS NWEZE (JSC): The Departure of Courageous, Erudite Jurist
By Jude-Ken Ojinnaka
On Monday July 31,2023, the Supreme Court of Nigeria announced the painful eternal departure of Justice of the Court, Justice Chima Centus Nweze who passed away on Saturday July 29 at the age of 65.
Announcing the death of Justice Nweze, the Director of Press and Information of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Dr. Akande Festus on Monday afternoon said, “It is with a heart full of grief that we announce the sudden death of our amiable brother and colleague, Hon. Justice Chima Centus Nweze, (JSC), on Saturday, 29th July 2023, after a brief illness.”
Dr Akande described Justice Nweze as a formidable ally of his brother Justices, an admirable pillar of support to the staff and management of the Supreme Court; and indeed, a dependable father figure to all.
Life, Career of Justice C.C Nweze
Justice Nweze a native of Obollo-Afor, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State was born on September 25, 1958.
Justice Nweze obtained LL.B., LL.M., Ph.D in Law from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1983,1995 and 2001 respectively. He was the Legal Adviser to former Governor of Enugu State, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo. He served as a Judge of the High Court of Enugu State, and later, Justice, Court of Appeal.
He was the Chairman, Second Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Nsukka. Justice Nweze was an Adjunct Professor in International Law and International Human Rights at the Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, and the Faculty of Law, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu. He was an Associate Professor of Law at Ebonyi State University.
Justice Centus Nweze was a Judge of the High Court of Justice, Enugu State, from 1995 to 2007; Justice of the Court of Appeal from 2008 to 2014; and was elevated to the Supreme Court Bench on 29 October 2014, where he served until his death.
Before his appointment to Nigeria Supreme Court, he distinguished himself in the legal profession, as a successful legal practitioner, an erudite Judge, and a notable academic.
Hon. Justice Chima Nweze, number five (5) in the ranking of Supreme Court Justices, gave a sterling account of himself in the discharge of his official duties at the Supreme Court. He had largely made himself a pliable legal personality that had diligently sunk a pool of enduring legal knowledge and experience in all his judicial pronouncements.
He was for many years been a member of the Advisory Board of GGU’s Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law. Besides, he has extensively published in various fields of international legal studies in national and international journals of all continents.
Nweze was the only judge who stood his ground against a majority decision of the Apex Court which had declared Hope Uzodinma winner of the Imo State governorship election in 2019. He gave a dissenting judgement as against four other Justices comprising former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Mohammed, current CJN, Olukayode Ariwoola, Sylvester Ngwuta, and Kudirat Kekere-Ekun whose controversial decisions favoured Hope Uzodinma.
In a dissenting judgement, Nweze held that Mr Uzodinma misled the court by crediting unverified votes in 388 polling units to himself.
“This decision of the Supreme Court will continue to hunt our electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come.
“This court has a duty of redeeming its image, it is against this background that the finality of the court cannot extinguish the right of any person.
“I am of the view that this application should succeed. I hereby make an order repealing the decision of this court made on January 14 and that the certificate of return issued to the appellant (Uzodinma) returned to INEC.
“I also make an order restoring the respondents (Ihedioha) as the winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election,”
However, his verdict could not overturn the majority decision of his brother judges.
The majority decision held that it lacked the justification to revisit or review its judgement which was based on relevant provisions and citations of the law.
In another election matter before the Apex Court, Justice Nweze delivered a judgement affirming former Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, as the All Progressives Congress senatorial candidate for Yobe North. Mixed reactions and controversy trailed the judgement as Dr. Lawan ought not to be returned as Senatorial candidate for Yobe North, having stepped aside from the Senate to contest the primary election of the All Progressive Congress (APC)
Tributes From Legal Community
The legal practitioners in the legal community in their tributes, expressed shock and grief at the death of Justice Nweze.
The immediate past chairman, Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN, OFR) in his tribute captioned ‘An Iroko Tree Has Indeed Fallen’, wrote “I received the news of the death of His Lordship, Hon. Justice Chima Centus Nweze, Justice of the Supreme Court, with great shock and sadness.
“I am aware that His Lordship had been ill for the past few months, but didn’t realize that the illness was of a serious nature that would claim his life .
“His death, coming barely a month after the passing on of his kinsman and brother, Hon. Justice R. C. Agbo, has left many of us who knew both jurists closely, completely devastated and heartbroken.
“Hon. Justice Nweze was a year my senior at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC). He was of 1983 set while I belonged to the 1984 set. We resided at the same Mazi Mbonu Ojike (GH) Hall. He was in Room G202 while I was in the next room, G204. C.C, as he was fondly called, was a hardworking and industrious student. With his seminary background, CC mesmerized some of us who engaged in arguments with him with Latin phrases and idioms . He was a wordsmith extraordinaire, and I was therefore not surprised when he was appointed a judge of the Enugu State High Court in 1995, two years after another mutual friend, Justice Innocent Umezulike (former Chief Judge of Enugu State and now of blessed memory) was appointed to the Enugu State High Court bench.
“On account of his industry and deep intellectual capacity, C.C was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2008 and from there to the Supreme Court in 2014.
“In both courts, C.C proved himself as a force to be reckoned with, moreso with his insightful, incisive and erudite judgments. C.C was an admirer and follower of Niki Tobi JSC (now of blessed memory), and this reflected in his style of writing judgments. Reading his judgments was an opportunity to learn new words and phrases. You must have a dictionary beside you as you read through. He was indeed a wordsmith extraordinaire! His death is a colossal loss to the Nigerian Judiciary, the people of the South East Zone, Enugu State and the Catholic Church. C.C Nweze JSC will be sorely missed.
“My heart and prayers go to his dear wife, Hon. Justice Ugonne Jacinta Nweze of Enugu State Judiciary and the entire Nweze family of Obollo Afor, Udenu LGA.
His death has left South East without any representation at the Apex Court. It started with the death of Hon. Justice Nwali Sylvester Ngwuta in March 2021, followed by the retirement of Mary Peter-Odili JSC in May 2022 and now the demise of His Lordship C.C Nweze, JSC. Earlier in 2021, another of our UNEC alumni, Oseji JSC also passed on after a brief illness.
Chief Ngige implored the authorities to start looking seriously into the condition of service of judicial officers particularly those at the Apex Court where the justices are working under serious stressful conditions that impact negatively on their health.
A situation where the Apex Court is currently manned by about 12 justices out of the constitutionally provided 21 justices is a matter of grave concern. The appointing authorities should hasten up the process of filling the vacancies to reduce the workload on their lordships. There is no doubt that the work overload is seriously affecting the health of the justices .
“Once again, I offer my deep condolences to the bereaved family and to Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria on the death of this legal colossus, Hon. Justice Centus Chima Nweze. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace, Amen.”
Mourning the death of Justice Chima Centus Nweze of Supreme Court, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN) wrote in his statement that he is deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Justice Chima Centus Nweze of the Supreme Court, which occurred on Saturday, 29th of July, 2023. He described Justice Nweze was a distinguished and respected member of the legal fraternity, adding that his untimely demise is an immense loss for the entire nation.
He stated that “throughout his illustrious career, Justice Nweze exemplified the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and judicial wisdom. His profound knowledge, unwavering dedication, and remarkable contributions to the field of law have left an indelible mark on our legal system. His commitment to justice, fairness, and upholding the rule of law was commendable and admired by many.
“Beyond his legal expertise, Justice Nweze was known for his compassion, humility, and unwavering commitment to serving society. He was a beacon of hope for those seeking justice and a voice for the marginalized and oppressed.
“During this time of profound grief, I offer my sincerest sympathies to his family, friends, colleagues, and all those whose lives he touched. May you find solace and strength in the cherished memories you shared with Justice Nweze. May his soul find eternal peace, and may his legacy continue to inspire and guide us in our pursuit of justice.”
Reacting to the demise of Justice Nweze, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau, (OON, SAN) said in a statement that he ” has received with shock and dismay the news of the passing of Hon. Justice Chima Centus Nweze, Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which sad event occurred on Saturday, 29th July, 2023.”
He described Justice Nweze as an astute and erudite jurist whose numerous decisions have shaped, impacted and developed our law and jurisprudence.
” He was a disciplined, hardworking, and courageous judicial officer.
“The NBA President condoles with the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kayode Ariwoola, (GCON), the entire Nigerian Judiciary, the Government and People of Enugu State, friends and family of Hon. Justice Nweze over the demise of his lordship and prays that the Almighty God comforts his lordship’s family and friends,” the NBA President prayed.
On his part, a leading human rights advocate, Mr. Chino Obiagwu SAN) in a statement wrote “Yesterday (Sunday), I lost a friend and inspirator, a jurist per excellence, an activist judge, one of the best on the Nigerian bench. Hon Justice Dr. C. C. Nweze, Justice of the Supreme Court. Rest in the bossom of the Lord in eternity.”
The former Second Vice President of NBA and immediate past chairman of NBA-SPIDEL, Dr Monday Onyekachi Ubani in his tribute to the late jurist, wrote,
“The death of Hon Justice Centus Nweze is very devastating and has undeniably thrown the legal community and the entire country into mourning mood.
“He was one of the best at the pinnacle of the judiciary. His erudite judgements over the years enriches Nigeria’s jurisprudence. The country has lost a giant of the bench and one of the finest jurist in Africa.
“May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.”
The President of the Nigerian Law School Class of 1984, Mr. Femi Alabi while grieving over the passing of the jurist, said “As it is customary, we will be observing the initial 3 day mourning period from Monday 31st July through to Wednesday 2nd August.
“May the soul of Justice Chima Centus Nweze rest in peace. Amen.”
