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As the late Hon. Justice Chinwe Eugenia Iyizoba, JCA (rtd), is laid to rest, her former colleagues in the legal profession, friends and family members will forever remember her for the starling qualities that defined her life and times, particularly as a Justice of the Court of Appeal.
Born on January 19, 1950, at Bukuru, Plateau State, to the late Chief (Sir) FGN and Dame Monica Okoye of Enugwu-Ukwu, in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, she was married to Chief Ossy Iyizoba of blessed memory, from Nimo, in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State.
She attended Archdeacon Crowther Memorial Girls Grammar School, Elelenwo, in Rivers State, from 1962 to 1966, where she obtained the West African School Certificate, Grade 1.
After the Civil War, she attended the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, from 1970 to 1974, and obtained the Bachelor of Laws degree with Second Class Honours (Upper Division).
She held a scholarship (bursary award) throughout her period of studies at the University of Nigeria—an award given to the best student academically in each faculty every year. She also won prizes for the best student in both the Faculty of Law and the Department of Law in the 1974 academic year.
In 1975, she proceeded to Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey, Newark, USA, for her postgraduate studies and obtained a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in June 1977. On her return to Nigeria, she was called to the Nigerian Bar in July 1978.
Iyizoba subsequently joined the Faculty of Law, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, as a Senior Lecturer in 1979. In 1990, she left academia and went into private legal practice. In 1994, she was appointed Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Anambra State, a position she held until 1997, when she was appointed and sworn in as a Judge of the High Court of Anambra State.
She served as a member of the Election Petition Tribunals in Sokoto and Kwara states in 1999 and in Kebbi State in 2007. She served as Administrative Judge in the Idemili Judicial Division (2000–2002), Onitsha Judicial Division (2006–2009), and Nnewi Judicial Division (2009–2010). In July 2010, she was elevated and sworn in as a Justice of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria.
Hon. Justice Iyizoba published several articles on various legal topics and presented papers at local and international conferences. She held various public appointments, including, Member, National Committee on Reform of Nigerian Prisons (1991); Nigerian Delegate to the 45th General Assembly of the United Nations, New York (1992); and Director, African Continental Bank Ltd (1986–1990).
She was a Life Member of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association. Until her demise, she was a member of the American Society of International Law, the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria (NAWJN) and the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ).
Hon. Justice Iyizoba was a serving member of the Body of Benchers at the time of her demise. Shortly before she retired, she set up her NGO, African Women Forum on Good Governance (AWFGG).
She retired from the judiciary in January 2020. In the course of delivering her valedictory speech on her retirement, she said: “I served my country in a judicial capacity for a total of 23 years—13 years in the Anambra judiciary and 10 years in the Court of Appeal. I have always borne in mind that, as a judicial officer, I am accountable to God and answerable to Him in a dual capacity: firstly as an ordinary human being, and secondly as a judge given the sacred duty of determining disputes between my fellow citizens. I have, in all these years, tried my best and prayed for God’s grace and wisdom to do the right thing always.
“As human beings, judges are not infallible. That is why we have the hierarchy of courts for appeals. The important thing is to be true to one’s conscience and to determine every case before you in accordance with the law and the justice of the particular case. I am fulfilled and at peace with every single judgment I delivered in my 23 years as a judicial officer.”
On her retirement from the Court of Appeal, a Festschrift, “Contemporary Issues in Law and Society: Legal Essays in tribute to Hon, Justice Chinwe E. Iyizoba, JCA”, was published by some of her professional colleagues in recognition of her contributions to the legal profession.
After she retired from the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Chinwe Eugenia Iyizoba, JCA (Rtd), remained unwavering in her commitment to the advancement of women within the judiciary. She continued as an active and devoted member of the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria and the International Association of Women Judges, attending conferences and contributing meaningfully at national and international levels.
In recognition of her dedication and distinguished service to the cause of women in the judiciary, the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria, under the leadership of the Hon. Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, GCON, CFR, entrusted her with the responsibility of Judicial Coordinator for the Women in Leadership in Law (WILIL) Project, a collaborative initiative between the International Association of Women Judges and the National Association of Women Judges Nigeria.
As the judicial coordinator of the project, Justice Iyizoba brought vision, structure and measurable impact to the WILIL Nigeria Project. Under her leadership, Nigeria emerged as a high-performing country team with visible and data-driven results.
Hon. Justice Iyizoba lived a life marked by quiet grace and steady love. She valued people, no matter their age, background or circumstance. She had a rare gift for bringing people together and nurtured relationships with care, always choosing peace, understanding and compassion. As a mother, she poured herself out selflessly, offering guidance, comfort and unconditional love. As a wife, she stood solidly beside her husband, especially during years of ill health. She held her marital family together, preserving unity and peace even after the loss of her husband.
To her siblings and paternal extended family, she was a source of encouragement and gentle support, always ready to lift others up. Justice Chinwe Iyizoba is survived by three children—Ebele, Onuora, and Ifeyinwa; two sons-in-law, Chinedu and Udechukwu; and 12 grandchildren. She is also survived by two large extended families—the R.O.M. Iyizoba family of Nimo and the F.G.N. Okoye family of Enugwu-Ukwu, both in Anambra State—including several sisters and brothers, as well as sisters and brothers-in-law.
The legacy of the late Justice Iyizoba endures in her years of dedicated service to the Nigerian nation and in the compassion with which she lived her life.
She carried fairness, wisdom and integrity into her work just as she carried kindness and humility into her relationships. She will be remembered for the warmth of her spirit and the goodness she carried within her.
