Prince Bola Ajibola, a former judge of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, died at the age of 89 on Saturday midnight after a long illness associated with old age. His death was announced by his eldest son, Segun Ajibola, in a statement released on Sunday from Abeokuta.
Born on March 22, 1934, in Owu near Abeokuta, Prince Ajibola was a member of the Owu royal family of Oba Abdul‑Salam Ajibola Gbadela II. He attended Owu Baptist Day School and Baptist Boys’ High School in Abeokuta from 1942 to 1955, then earned a bachelor’s degree in law at Holborn College of Law, University of London, between 1959 and 1962. He was called to the English Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1962 before returning to Nigeria to practice law.
Prince Ajibola’s distinguished career included serving as president of the Nigerian Bar Association from 1984 to 1985 and as Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice from 1985 to 1991. He was appointed a judge of the International Court of Justice, a position he held from 1991 to 1994. Later, he served as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom between 1999 and 2002.
In addition to his diplomatic and judicial roles, Ajibola contributed to several important commissions. He was one of five commissioners on the Eritrea‑Ethiopia Boundary Commission established by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and he chaired the Plateau State Government panel that investigated the 2008 Jos riots. He also founded Crescent University in 2005, an Islamic co‑educational institution.
When announcing his father’s passing, Segun Ajibola expressed deep gratitude, saying, “With very deep heart and gratitude to Almighty Allah. Our dad, Prince Bola Ajibola, departed this world over the midnight. May Almighty Allah bless him with Aljanah Firdaus.”
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