Justice Mohammed Nasir Yunusa of the Federal High Court, Kano Division, has reportedly died after collapsing at his residence. Sources said the judge slumped in his living room on Thursday evening and was immediately rushed to a hospital, where doctors later confirmed him dead.
Officials within the Federal High Court in Abuja disclosed on Saturday that the late jurist was buried on Friday in line with Islamic rites.
A source described Justice Yunusa as a hardworking judge who handled several sensitive and high-profile matters during his time on the bench. The Director of Information of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Catherine Oby Christopher, also confirmed the incident, stating that the judge passed away at the State Medical Centre in Kano.
Justice Yunusa was widely known for presiding over a number of politically sensitive cases following the 2023 general elections. One of the notable matters involved a suit seeking to nullify the candidature of the then Abia Governor-elect, Alex Otti.
Although the court had earlier nullified the election of Labour Party candidates in Kano, Justice Yunusa clarified that candidates who contested in Abia State were not parties before his court.
He ruled that the court lacked the jurisdiction to order the issuance or withdrawal of certificates of return concerning those candidates, adding that affected parties were free to seek legal redress at the appropriate division of the court.
The suit was filed by Ibrahim Haruna-Ibrahim, who asked the court to revoke the certificates of return issued to Labour Party candidates declared winners in Kano, other states of the federation, and the FCT.
The defendants in the matter were the Labour Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).