By Ahmad Deedat Zakari
The Faculty of Law, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, has inaugurated its students’ judiciary.
The inauguration ceremony was held at the Faculty of Law, ABU Moot Court, Kongo Campus, on Monday.
The event was attended by teachers and students of the faculty and other faculties across the country.
Mustapha Abubakar, an award-winning final-year student, emerged as the Chief Justice of ABU.
Mr Abubakar, who, until his appointment, was Justice of the ABU Court of Appeal. He is a recipient of several awards.
In 2019, Abubakar emerged as the best Advocate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The same year, advocacy took him to the national level as he emerged as the best and winner of the 2019 National LAWSAN moot competition.
He was also announced best and winner of the NAMLAS Moot and Mock competition in 2019.
In 2019, he also won Best Brief Writer and Best Oralist Of The Clinical Legal Education (CLE) Annual Mock and Moot Championship.
Mr Abubakar left the student Bar to the student Bench in 2020 as a Justice of the Court of Appeal, where he received a Medal of Honour as a distinguished justice of the court 2020.
The ABU Faculty of Law is where the country’s most distinguished jurists and legal practitioners were thoroughly bred. This explains why there is something particularly unique and different about the ABU student judiciary. It is the microcosm of the Nigerian Judiciary. The Courts are arranged from the Supreme Court down to the Sharia Court of Appeal.
The Supreme Court is headed by the ABU Chief Justice, who must be a final-year Law student and must be knowledgeable in procedural and substantive law. Other final-year students are appointed as justices of the Supreme Court.
Then we have the Court of Appeal headed by the President Court of Appeal, who must be a final-year Law student. Other justices of the Court of Appeal are appointed from the 400 level.
The High Court is headed by a Chief Judge of the High Court, and a Grand Khadi heads the Sharia Court of Appeal. Other judges and Kadis are appointed to aid the efficient learning of the law.
The arrangement of the court helps students in the procedural and practical aspects of the law. This is because procedures might be similar but are different in all courts.
