Twenty-three years ago, Chief James Ajibola Idowu Ige SAN, widely known as Bola Ige, was tragically assassinated.
Ige, a prominent Nigerian lawyer and politician, served as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice from January 2000 until his death in December 2001.
Before his tenure as Minister of Justice, Ige was the governor of Oyo State from 1979 to 1983 during the Nigerian Second Republic.
Born on September 13, 1930, in Esa-Oke, Osun State, in southwestern Nigeria, Ige was of Yoruba descent.
His early years were spent in Kaduna, but at the age of 14, he moved to the Western Region. He attended Ibadan Grammar School from 1943 to 1948, and later, the University of Ibadan, before studying law at University College London, where he earned his law degree in 1959.
He was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in London in 1961.
Upon returning to Nigeria, Ige founded Bola Ige & Co. and was later appointed as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He gained national recognition for his eloquence, advocacy for civil rights, and dedication to democracy.
In addition to his legal career, Ige was known for being fluent in Nigeria’s three major languages: Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa.
He also authored several books, and following his assassination, an anthology of articles and tributes was published in his honor.
