SAUDI TRAGEDY: Appeal Court loses two justices

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, yesterday, disclosed that two Court of Appeal Justices were among those who died during the stampede that killed over 700 persons at Mina, Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
In a statement, yesterday, the CJN, gave the names of the deceased Abdulkadir Jega, the Presiding Judge of the Abuja Division of the appellate court, and Justice Musa Hassan Alkali of the Ilorin Division .

Saudi emergency personnel stand near bodies of Hajj pilgrims at the site where at least 717 were killed and hundreds wounded in a stampede in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, at the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia on September 24, 2015.

Justice Mohammed, in a condolence message to the bereaved families, the Court of Appeal, the judiciary and the Federal Republic of Nigeria, said it was with a deep sense of shock but with gratitude to Allah that he learnt of the death of the two justices.
He said their death was not  only a huge loss to the judiciary but also to the country, stressing that  the deceased had  contributed immensely to the development of the jurisprudence in Nigeria.
The statement, signed by the CJN media aide, Mr. Ahuraka Isah, further read: “The CJN, Justice Mohammed on behalf of the entire Judiciary in the country prayed the Almighty Allah to grant the soul of departed Justices eternal rest and their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

“Justice Mohammed expressed his personal condolences to the      immediate family and relations as well as friends and associates of the highly respected jurists who will be greatly missed by the entire judiciary.“His Lordship urges members of the deceased families to be comforted by the knowledge that the departed jurists served their country with commitment, dedication  and honesty.“The CJN  prays that Almighty Allah will receive  their    soul and grant them    al-janah”.