A former Attorney
General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Chike Offodile(SAN) is
dead, the Onitsha Traditional Council has announced. Offodile, 92, who was the Onowu Iyasele (Traditional Prime
Minister) of Onitsha died on Sunday, August 3, 2014, according to a statement
released by the council.
The statement read, “Offodile rose to the rank of a
Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1979 and was elevated to the rank of Life
Bencher.
“He retired from active practice
in 2009 after 50 years of his call Bar. “In 2003, the Obi of Onitsha conferred
on him the office of the Onowu Iyasele of Onitsha, where he discharged his
duties with exceptional dedication and ability until his death.
“Ofodile was born
to Ofodile Ezeugo – of Umu Obi Udogwu royal family of Ogbeozala Village – and
Umunebe of the Olisa Ojiede family in Odojele Village, both from Onitsha,
Anambra State.
“He attended the Immanuel Church Infant School, St. Mary’s
Primary School and Christ the King College, all in Onitsha.
“He taught briefly
at the Holy Trinity School at Onitsha Waterside, before joining the P&T
(Post and Telegraphs) Department, Enugu. Offodile travelled to the United
Kingdom for further studies and was called to Bar at the Middle Temple in 1959.
“Offodile was conferred with the National Honour of Officer of the Order of the
Federal Republic by President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2008.”
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media,
James Eze, Governor Obiano of Anambra state observed that with Offodile’s passage, Nigeria
had lost one of the taproots of the nation’s judiciary, describing him as the
last of the finest breed of legal luminaries.
“Chief Offodile was one of Anambra’s finest gifts to the
nation’s judiciary. He served his fatherland for 50 years, some of which
witnessed the most uncertain periods in our history.
“With his passage, Nigeria has lost yet another of the great
men that laid the foundation of our current progress,” Chief Obiano observed.
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