By Dada Ahmed.
No doubt, Saturday, September 25,2021 is a date the people of Ebiraland in Kogi Central Senatorial district of Kogi state and others from far and near will not forget in a hurry.
The Saturday was a dark day for residents of Okene and Adavi Local Governnent Areas of the state as they were caught in utter disbelief, seeing their beloved son, late Justice Moses David Abubakar Adavuruku Bello, lowered to the grave in total submission to the will of Almighty God.
To Justice Bello, the pioneer President, Customary Court of Appeal, FCT Judiciary,the popular saying that the day a man is born is not as important as the day he is buried could not have been more apt, given the large crowd of people cutting across various human callings that trooped to Christ The King Church, Okene,to pay him last respect.
For many who turned up at the Church, Okene for the Order of Funeral Mass and Tributes for the deceased with long faces, the feeling is that,the ebiras believe firmly in appreciating any good done to them by fellow human beings that passed on.
To them, it was difficult to believe that the legal luminary was gone; not because they think that he would stay forever,but because it was a wrong time to miss Justice Bello’s outstanding goodness to all that who came across him in his 68 years journey on the planet earth.
Mohammed Lawal, who wore eyes with tears as the remains of the legal icon were being lowered to the grave, said:”Oh God! we know that as humans, we are mortals and we will surely die one day.
“But the death of Justice Moses Bello, who made contributed immensely to bring smile to many faces in Ebiraland, particularly the poor,without attaching any religious, political and other divisible expressions to his humanitarian attitude,to say the least,is so painful.
“Ye, we cannot question Him in time like this.”
Justice Bello was born, quietly, in the Mushing area of Lagos State in 1953 to the family of Mallam Bello Salami Ogere of Uka clan and Hajiya Hajiya Sabitiyu Yusuf of Ozi-Omoye clan, both of Adavi and Okene Local Governnent Areas of the present geographical expression called Kogi state.
His biography reveales that he began his education at the Roman Catholic School (North), Okene,1960-66 after which he proceeded to the Government Teachers’ College, Okene, 1969-73 and obtained his grade Teachers’certificate.
Between November 1973 and 1974, while working as Library Assistant at the Kashim Library Library, the young Bello, with burning desire to attain enviable heights in education studied by correspondence through the then Exam Success and passed O and A level examinations with flying colours.
With the solid educational foundation laid, Bello was admitted to the prestigious ABU,Zaria to read Law, a feat he accomplished with LLB. Hons. in 1980 and went to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos where he passed his BL examination and was called to the Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1981.
From that year, he started making meaningful impact in the judicial system of the country through various judiciary appointments and rising through ranks to the peak of his calling,a developmnt that culminated in his appointment as the pioneer President Customary Court of Appeal FCT Judiciary in President of the Customary Court of Appeal,FCT Judiciary until January, 2018.
History has it that the late Justice was the longest serving head of court in Nigeria, coupled with being a member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) from 1992 to 2018 and also served as a member of the National Judicial Council (NJC) till his retirement from the Bench in 2018,among other legal and other accomplishments.
As the late jurist took his bow from this part of the planet, to rest in the Kingdom of the Lord with deserved encomiums, commentators say he can aptly be described as a man who came, saw and conquered, leaving the world with his head high, as one impacted so much to make life worth living for many others and left the stage with rain of praises.
President Muhammadu Buhari,who condoled with the Body of Benchers and others over the unfortunate incident, described the Justice Bello as an individual who “lighted the path for many , revealing a deep sense of fairness, balance and love for humanity.”
Governor Yahaha Bello of Kogi state,in a statement he signed, noted that: “Justice Bello was a legal icon, famous for his courage and uprightness during his time on the Bench and particularly at the of the Customary Court of Appeal of the FCT, adding,”even as we mourn his demise at the age of 68,we cannot but take pride in his numerous great achievements.”
The Ohinoyi of Ebiraland,Dr Ado Ibrahim, represented at the burial ceremony by the Oyarazi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Isa Mamman described the erudite Justice as a worthy son of Ebiraland whose impact in the life of many would continue to linger in many minds for many years to come.
The family of the deceased were not left out of outpour of triputes that characterised their beloved father’s burial as they took time to write beautifully impression about him, cataloging his love for and others.
The Lady Lord,(the wife) remembered the day she met her late husband and how one event snowballed into another and they got married for 40 years.
She simply concluded her tripute thus:”My self and children love you so dearly and miss you deeply. We will miss your jokes,your advice, your words of encouragement and above all,your presence.
“May God forgive you all your shortcomings and grant you eternal rest in Jesus name, amen.
“I still love you,my sweet love till we meet on the resurrection morning.
“Your Lady Lord.”
Other legal institutions and accomplished legal practitioners that showered praises on the late Justice include: the Federal Capital Territory Judiciary, Customary Court of Appeal, National Judiciary Institute, International Federation of Women Lawyers,Dr Alex Izinyon(SAN), to mention but few.
On the political front, the late Justice,whose son is a member of the current House of Representatives, was credited of being a great peace maker whose reconciliatory prowess,as well as legal erudition helped to restore peace to Ebiraland, following the political/clannish crises that engulfed Ebiraland between 2007 and 2008.
Many of the politicians, who spoke about the deceased and his impact in political stability in the Central Senatorial district of the state promised to emulate his political maturity, exemplified by his outstanding sense of reconciling warring parties then.
They also promised to toe the deceased line by eschewing politics of bitterness and rancour.
As Justice Bello joins his ancestors in the journey of no return, the general opinion of the people that turned up to pay him last respect is that, his life was a fulfilled phenomenon worthy of emulation by politicians and members of other segments of the society, now and generations ahead.
As the people of Ebiraland and others bemoan the death of Justice Bello, they are the belief that the greatest respect for the late Justice Bello is to follow his foot steps which centre on love, peace, legal erudition and extending hands of fellowship, especially to the needy in the society.
Ahmed, an online publisher and media consultant,writes from Lokoja.
