A Supreme Court Justice, Centus Chima Nweze, is dead. He was aged 64.
Justice Nweze died on Sunday from a brief illness, the Conclave reports.
Until his death, he was the the only justice from Southeast in the Supreme Court.
The late Justice Chima Centus Nweze was a native of Obollo, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State.
He was born on September 25, 1958.
He died a Christian.
He was married to Hon Justice Ugonne Jacinta Nweze of the Enugu State Judiciary, and there have five children and a grandchild.
He attended St John Cross Seminary, Nsukka, from 1972 -1977, running away with Distinction in the West African School Certificate Examination, [WASCE].
Between 1979 and 1983, he was a student at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.
In 1983, he represented the Faculty of Law, and indeed, all Nigerian Law Faculties, at the Phillip Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington DC, as the Chief Oralist.
Upon his graduation in 1983, [LL. B. (Hons) (Nig.)], he proceeded to the Nigeria Law School, from 1983 – 1984, where he obtained the qualifying Certificate, [BL].
He participated in the NYSC between 1984 and 1985 in Bauchi.
He returned to the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, between 1993 and 1995, where he studied for, and obtained, the Master of Laws Certificate, [LL. M].
Between 1997 and 2001, he studied for, and achieved, the Doctorate Degree [Ph. D.] of the University of Nigeria.
Having practised at the private Bar from 1985 – 1995, he was elevated to the High Court Bench of Enugu State in November, 1995.
While on the High Court Bench, he served as Chairman, Second Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Enugu State, 1996 -1998; Chairman, Robbery and Firearms Tribunal, Nsukka, 1998 -1999; Member, Ondo State Local Government Election Petition Tribunal, 1999; Chairman, Ogun State Governorship and Legislative Houses Election Petition Tribunal, 1999; Administrative Judge, Nsukka Judicial Division, Enugu State, 2001.
He was appointed a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria on February 15, 2008; and served thereat until October, 2014, when he was, finally, elevated to Nigeria’s apex court as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on October 29, 2014.
He had been on the Bench of the Supreme Court from October 2014 until his demise.
Hon Justice Chima Centus Nweze has served in various capacities in extra-judicial vocational activities. These include: Member, DFID Access to Justice Programme, Enugu State, 2003; Member, National Working Group on the Reform of Criminal Justice Administration, 2004 [the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, is the brainchild of this group]; Team Member, Enugu State Sector Strategic Plan, 2004; PATHS-DFID Hon Consultant, District Health System Law/Regulations, 2004; Member, OSIWARD C Expert Consultative Forum on Federal Budget Act and Facilitator, Enugu State Justice Sector Reform Team.
A former Convenor/Co-coordinator, LL. M (International Human Rights Programme), and Visiting Human Rights Scholar, Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, 2000 -2008; Justice Nweze, who was a Distinguished Scholar, Pro Bono, Faculty of Law, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, ESUT, Enugu, was formerly, a Visiting Associate Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, Ebonyi State University and Member, International Advisory Board, Annual Survey of International & Comparative Law (Golden Gate University School of Law, San Francisco, USA).
Be the first to comment