Ex-Bayelsa Chief Judge, Abiri, Dies At 65

The New Diplomat
Writer

Ad

FBI Release Information About Suspects Linked to Murder of Charlie Kirk

FBI receives more than 130 tips Officials have received more than 130 tips, as of this morning. "I assure you that all leads and tips are being fully investigated," said Robert Bohls, special agent in charge of the FBI's Salt Lake City field office. He asked that anyone with video or images from the shooting…

Jubilation as Abuja court jails Ansaru leader Mahmud Usman 15 years for terrorism

By Obinna Uballa A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced Mahmud Usman, a top commander of the proscribed Ansaru sect, to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges. Usman, widely known by his aliases Abu Bara’a, Abbas, and Mukhtar, admitted to engaging in illegal mining and funnelling the proceeds into…

CBN: Nigeria’s industry sector contracts in August as services, agriculture sustain growth

By Obinna Uballa Industrial activity in Nigeria contracted in August 2025, recording 49.1 index points in the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) report made available to the press on Thursday. The CBN said the downturn followed contractions in 10 out of 17 subsectors surveyed. The decline was reflected across key…

Ad

By Agency Report

The former Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Kate Abiri, is dead, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Chief Registrar at State Judiciary Headquarters, High Court, Amaebi Orukari, in a statement issued on Thursday in Yenagoa, said the former chief judge died on Thursday during a brief illness at the age of 65.

“With a deep sense of loss, the Honourable Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Hon. Justice Matilda Abrakasa Ayemieye, announces the demise of Hon. Justice Kate Abiri, CON, whose sad event occurred on the 3rd of August, 2023.

“The Hon. Justice Kate Abiri passed on after a brief illness at the Glory Land Hospital, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. She was the immediate past Chief Judge of Bayelsa State,” he said.

Mr Orukari said that the state judiciary would miss the late jurist’s pioneering efforts in information technology, infrastructural development, and contribution to the legal community and the state in general.

According to him, the burial arrangements will be announced after consultation with the family.

NAN recalls that Mrs Abiri retired from the state judiciary on 13 January, after serving as chief judge for 15 years and clocking the mandatory retirement age of 65.

NAN also reports that the deceased was appointed chief judge by former Governor Timipre Sylva in 2008 after a protracted battle, led by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Yenagoa branch.

NBA had demanded for Mrs Abiri’s appointment, following the recommendation by National Judicial Commission (NJC).

NAN reports that the late Mrs Abiri was the first female judge in Nigeria’s history to swear-in the highest number of state chief executives, even beyond her state, as a chief judge.

(NAN)

Ad

Unlocking Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea during UNGA80
X whatsapp