In this article, Parallel Facts profiles one of the Nigerian justices, John Inyang Okoro, who will be presiding the 2023 presidential election case on Thursday, October 26, 2023.
Who is Justice Okoro?
Justice John Inyang Okoro is one of the most senior justices in Nigerian Apex Court.
Place of Birth
He was born on July 11, 1959 in Nung Ukim, Ikono Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom.
Education
He went to the University of Lagos, Methodist School, Nung Ukim, Methodist Boys’ High School, Oron, and the School of Arts & Science, Uyo. In 1985, he received his call to the Nigerian Bar.
Law career
Justice Okoro began practicing law in 1986 as a magistrate and became chief magistrate in 1996. He was appointed to the Akwa Ibom State High Court in 1998 and remained there until 2006. He sat on the Court of Appeal until 2013 after being promoted there in 2006. The Senate approved his appointment to the Supreme Court of Nigeria in October 2013, and on November 15, 2014, Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar—the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria—swore him in.
Justice Inyang Okoro has also faced some challenges in his career. As a well-known member of the Nigerian Judiciary, he became embroiled in a corruption scandal that stunned the entire nation.
Controversy
However, the narrative that surfaced was one of the charges, investigations, and ultimately, exoneration.
Justice Okoro was placed under arrest by the Department of State Security Services (DSS) on October 8, 2016, on allegations of bribery and corruption. The arrest was a component of a larger sting operation that was intended to target several well-known Nigerian justice system players.
Following his incarceration, Justice Okoro was the focus of a comprehensive investigation. The DSS conducted a thorough investigation into the charges made against him. Throughout this time, Justice Okoro maintained his innocence and cooperated fully with the investigation.
After a careful investigation, Justice Okoro was declared not guilty. The allegations of corruption and bribery levelled against him were not substantiated by any evidence that the DSS could find. The accusations against him, however, were never prosecuted, and in December 2019, the DSS cleared him of all allegations. Items seized from his residence throughout the inquiry, comprising $38,000, or around N13.68 million, were also returned to him.
The fact that Justice Okoro was found not guilty was seen as evidence of his integrity and morals. Reputable legal professionals have been pushing for the DSS to make Justice Okoro’s clearance public.
It is pertinent to note that despite the occurrence, Justice Okoro remains an ardent member of the Nigerian Supreme Court and will be deciding the fate of Nigerians in the landmark judgement between the three leading candidates (Tinubu, Atiku and Obi) in the last presidential election.