A great Iroko who expoused the law and rose to dizzying heights has fallen.
He is Justice Adolphus Karibi Whyte, a former Supreme Court justice and a prominent Rivers statesman.
He died on Friday at the age of 88 after a brief illness.
There are indications that the erudite Justice of the Supreme Court may have died of cancer of the prostate.
His death is drawing reactions from mourners and well-meaning Nigerians across the country who are acknowledging his contributions to the advancement of the law.
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi said in his reaction, “Justice Karibi-Whyte for me was a father figure. He was an exemplary personality, a great advisor and I have the utmost respect for him.
“When I was Governor of Rivers State, I appointed him as Pro Chancellor of RSUST; and expectedly, he brought his astute disposition and intellect to bear, which brought about a remarkable turnaround in the quality of education and handling of affairs in the institution.
“He was also a key member of the State’s Economic Advisory Council when I was governor and my administration and Rivers State benefited richly from his wealth of experience and expertise.
“As a Justice of the Supreme Court, he was very upright, fearless and upheld the rule of law. He was a colossus and great teacher. I will miss him deeply. Rivers State and Nigeria just lost a good man, a great man.
He said the late Justice Karibi-Whyte was one of the finest jurists of his generation, who brought tact, discipline, and sound judgments to the legal profession.
Dakuku Peterside, immediate past Director General of NIMASA described the death of the former Supreme Court Justice as a huge loss to the Nigerian people and the legal profession.
Peterside maintained that the death of the late jurist is equally a huge loss to Rivers State, saying that Karibi Whyte represented one of the finest professionals who excelled at the very top of their careers, and contributed immensely to the growth and development of Nigeria.
“Late Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte was a complete gentleman and an intellectual to the core, he was never found wanting throughout his time in the judiciary and represented one of the best of his generation.
“He brought confidence to the bar and bench, he spoke with authority and delivered sound judgments that have stood the test of time. He was a disciplined man, who ensured justice was fair and sound and, brought honour to legal jurisprudence.
“As former Solicitor-General of Rivers state, he contributed immensely to the expansion of the judiciary, in addition to his offerings on laws made in the state,” he stated.
The former House of Reps member stressed further that the late jurist departed at a time “we are bringing all men of goodwill together to commence the rebuilding of the State.”
Peterside sympathized with his family and prayed to God to grant them the perseverance to bear the loss of an icon, whose fatherly advice and guidance were still needed at various times.
The late jurist was an epitome of knowledge and a Professor of Law.
Justice Karibi-Whyte was in 1976, appointed as a Judge of the Federal Revenue Court where he began his illustrious judicial career.
In 1980, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal. He later moved on to the Supreme Court in 1984 where he eventually retired after a meritorious judicial service.
The late legal luminary, members of the bar and the bench agree, was a fine jurist who was credited with pocessing “penetrating and lucid reasoning” in his judgments.
Many recall that His Lordship was courageous while on the bench, dissenting most of the time with majority views while he was in the Supreme Court.
Some of the celebrated decisions delivered by the apex court when he dissented include Government of Gongola State v Tukur (1989), Attorney General of the Federation v Attorney General of Abia State , Grace Jack v University of Agriculture, Makurdi (2004), Savannah Bank of Nigeria Limited v Pan Atlantic Shipping & Transport Agencies Limited (1987) amongst others.
Karibi-Whyte, among others, was the Chairman of the Nigerian Constitutional Conference between 1994 and 95, former Supreme Court Justice and a Judge, at the International Criminal Court.