Edo CJ mourns retired Hight Court Judge, Hayble

Edo CJ mourns retired Hight Court Judge, Hayble

The Chief Judge of Edo, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, has eulogised the late Justice Daniel Hayble, describing his lifetime as one marked by unwavering commitment to service.

Okungbowa said this at a special court session held in honour of Hayble, a retired Judge of the State High Court, on Friday in Benin.

He said Hayble, who died at 94, began his career as a teacher and later worked as a Tax Officer in London.

The Chief Judge said Hayble qualified as a Chartered Secretary in 1966, obtained an LL.B. (Hons) from the University of London in 1970 and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1972.

He said Hayble rose from Pupil State Counsel to become Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Solicitor-General and Acting Attorney-General of the state between August and December 1991.

“As DPP, he prosecuted the notorious Anini, Osunbor and Iyamu armed robbery cases,” he said.

Okungbowa said Hayble was elevated to the High Court Bench on May 28, 1993, and served in the Iguobazuwa, Ekpoma and Benin divisions before retiring in 2002.

He, however, said Hayble continued to serve the state as Chairman of the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy and as a member of the State Independent Electoral Commission.

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“Office may end, but a life of service need not end with office,” Okungbowa said, while condoling the family of the deceased.

Also speaking, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Roland Otaru (SAN), said Hayble’s death had closed a chapter of institutional memory.

“On behalf of the Government and people of Edo, I pay tribute to Justice Hayble, who departed at 94.

“There are occasions when death closes a chapter of institutional memory. Today is such an occasion,” he said.

Otaru said Hayble belonged to a generation whose careers were built on discipline, integrity and the belief that public office was a trust.

“For us at the Ministry of Justice, we are bidding farewell to one of our own. He began as Pupil State Counsel and rose to Solicitor-General before his elevation.

“It reminds every young lawyer that where talent is joined with character and ambition is disciplined by integrity, there is scarcely any height that cannot be attained,” he said.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Edo, Mr Omoigui Omorodion, described the late jurist as an exemplary legal practitioner who witnessed the growth of the judiciary through military and civilian regimes.

He said that although the gavel might fall from any hand, the justice dispensed by those who wielded it would outlive them.