Kasunmu was scholar, gentleman, statesman of law, says Bayo Ojo

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, has described the late Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN, as a remarkable scholar, gentleman and statesman who made significant contributions to Nigerian legal education, jurisprudence and public service.

Kasunmu died peacefully in the early hours of Sunday, August 9, 2026, aged 92.

Ojo, in a tribute to the late legal luminary, recalled his encounter with Kasunmu at the University of Lagos, where he served as Dean of the Faculty of Law.

“He was my Dean at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lagos in 1974,” Ojo said, recalling the influence Kasunmu had on his career and those of many other students who passed through his tutelage.

He described Kasunmu as a man who combined intellectual brilliance and professional competence with humility and dignity.

According to him, despite his vast knowledge of the law, Kasunmu never used it to intimidate others but deployed it to illuminate difficult questions, challenge young minds and encourage independent thinking.

Ojo said Kasunmu represented the best traditions of legal scholarship and was one of the foundational figures in the development of modern Nigerian jurisprudence.

As Dean of the UNILAG Faculty of Law from 1973 to 1975, he said, Kasunmu played a significant role in shaping young legal minds while maintaining high standards of academic discipline and professional excellence.

“His was a life devoted not merely to the practice of law, but to the advancement of the law itself,” Ojo said.

He also described the deceased as a principled gentleman who demonstrated that professional success could be achieved without compromising humility and humanity.

The tribute followed an announcement by the Kasunmu family confirming his death.

The family said: “With gratitude to God for a life well spent, we announce the passing of our beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN, who departed peacefully in the early hours of Sunday, August 9, 2026.”

Born on May 23, 1934, in Lagos to parents from Ilesa, Osun State, Kasunmu attended Elizabeth Fowler Memorial School, Reagan Memorial Baptist School and Baptist Academy, Lagos.

He later obtained his LL.B. and LL.M. degrees from University College London and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1964.

He subsequently began his academic career as a pioneer lecturer at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University.