Steve Aya
A Justice of the Supreme Court, Helen Ogunwumiju, CFR, has described the late Justice Umaru Atu Kalgo, JSC (Rtd), CON, as an erudite, hardworking and compassionate jurist whose discipline and scholarship left a lasting mark on Nigeria’s Judiciary. Kalgo died at 89, after a distinguished legal career spanning several decades.
Ogunwumiju, in a tribute to the former Supreme Court Justice, recalled her years as a Senior Legal Aid Counsel in Sokoto State between 1983 and 1986, when she appeared before Kalgo in several criminal trials in Sokoto and other jurisdictions.
She said Kalgo, who was then Chief Judge of Sokoto State, was known for conducting proceedings expeditiously, sometimes sitting until 5pm, while delivering detailed judgements the following day or, at the latest, within a fortnight.
Describing him as a scholarly and well-dressed gentleman with a dry British sense of humour, Ogunwumiju said Kalgo was a master of the English language, who could chastise difficult or incompetent Counsel with remarkable subtlety.
She recalled particularly, his patience and kindness towards her as a young Lawyer who sometimes struggled to understand the language of witnesses appearing before the court in Sokoto.
According to her, Kalgo continued to encourage her after his elevation to the Court of Appeal and subsequently, the Supreme Court, where he contributed to the development of Nigerian jurisprudence. His legal career began after his call to the Nigerian Bar in 1965, and included service at various levels of the Judiciary.
Her Ladyship, Ogunwumiju, JSC expressed condolences to the Sokoto State Judiciary, the people of the State and Kalgo’s family, praying for the repose of the late Jurist’s soul.