A judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Kano, Justice Mohammed Nasir Yunusa, has died after reportedly collapsing at his residence in Kano State.
Sources disclosed that the jurist slumped in his living room on Thursday evening and was immediately rushed to a medical facility, where doctors later confirmed him dead.
Judicial sources at the Federal High Court headquarters in Abuja told journalists on Saturday that the late judge was buried on Friday in line with Islamic rites.
One of the sources described Justice Yunusa as a dedicated judicial officer who handled several sensitive and high-profile matters during his years on the bench.
“Yes, the judge passed away on Thursday evening and was buried thereafter.
He was known for his commitment to duty and the way he dispensed justice in numerous important cases,” the source said.
The Director of Information of the Federal High Court, Catherine Oby Christopher, also confirmed the development, noting that the judge died at the State Medical Centre in Kano.
Justice Yunusa was widely known for presiding over several politically sensitive cases, especially after the 2023 general elections.
Among the notable matters he handled was a suit linked to the Labour Party’s electoral victories in Kano and other parts of the country.
In one of the rulings, the court declined to invalidate the candidature of the then Abia State Governor-elect, Alex Otti, despite applications challenging the status of Labour Party candidates.
The judge held that the affected candidates in Abia State were not parties before the court and therefore could not be subjected to orders sought by the plaintiff.
He had also ruled that the court lacked the jurisdiction to direct the issuance or withdrawal of certificates of return, advising aggrieved parties to seek redress at the appropriate division of the court.
The case stemmed from a suit filed by one Ibrahim Haruna-Ibrahim, who sought the revocation of certificates of return issued to Labour Party candidates declared winners in Kano, the Federal Capital Territory and other states across the federation.
The Labour Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission were listed as respondents in the matter.