After a long battle with stroke, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, known as the Socrates of the Nigerian judiciary finally gave up the ghost in Abuja Sunday at the age of 96.
He died yesterday at the Abuja home of his music superstar son, Charles Oputa,otherwise known as ‘Area Father.’
Justice Oputa left behind his 92-year-old wife,Margret. Amidst tears, she described her late husband as a man of peace. She was inconsolable, as she wailed and recounted her good old days with the respected Justice.
Justice Oputa , until breathing his last in the afternoon, was said to have read newspapers with his grand sons. Reliving his father’s last moments with members of the house, Charly Boy said there was no premonition that he would die yesterday.
His words: “My Dad read newspapers and joked with his grandchildren this morning (that was yesterday). He told me in the morning, ‘please sorry for the inconveniences.’ I told him which ‘inconveniences? He was served his food and he ate very well and cracked some jokes.
“His facial look didn’t suggest someone who was about to die. He looked strong and boisterous.”
The entertainment guru described his father as a man of peace, who preached peace, justice and fair play even at the point of death .
“My father was a man of peace. He hated cheating. He told us always to be fair to everybody,”the younger Oputa said.
On his relationship with his late father, he said: “ Initially, he was not happy with me but we reconciled 25 years ago. His name was precious to him, he always warned me against doing anything that would tarnish his name. We have been living together because there was nothing I consider priceless than them. “
Asked if his mum can cope without the late Justice, he said : “I don’t know oo. You can see the way she has been crying . We don’t know what to do to stop her from crying. They were too close. Only God will console her.
“ It is painful for me, he is a man of peace. We discuss everything especially politics and governance.”
On what the late Justice thought about Nigeria before his demise, Charly Boy said :” He was pained about the killing of innocent Nigerians by Boko Haram sect. Most of the discussion I had with him in the last few months centered on what must be done to return the country to glorious era.”
He did not mention when the burial of the icon would take place. He simply said “when the time comes we will let everybody know”
Other members of the family also wept profusely for the late jurist, but the cry of the aged wife eclipsed that of other mourners . She called him several pet names, shook her head timelessly and often clutched the air to drive home her pain.
The late judge, reputed for his courage, headed the Human Rights Investigation Commission now popularly called the Oputa Panel, to investigate abuses during 15 years of military rule, which ended when President Olusegun Obasanjo took office on May 29, 1999.
Reacting to his death, Lagos-based Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Joseph Nwobike said: “How are the mighty fallen! This is the end of an enviable era , the era of justice according to reason, good conscience and progressive legalism.
“The man was an epitome of what a judge should be. His judicial exploits and expositions will continue to resonate for centuries in the entire Commonwealth.....
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