Posted by Chinenye on Wed 04th Nov, 2026 - tori.ng
A Nigerian-trained lawyer has achieved a major international success, earning a place among the world’s top judges.
(Prof. Dapo Akande. Photo by Punch News)
A law professor who trained as a lawyer in Nigeria has been chosen to become a judge at the International Court of Justice.
The United Nations made the choice in a vote on Tuesday.
Professor Dapo Akande teaches public international law at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
He will serve nine years on the court.
The ICJ is the top legal body of the United Nations.
It settles disputes between countries and gives advice on big questions of international law.
His win means a British judge is back on the court after nine years away.
The UK Foreign Office shared the news in a statement on Tuesday.
The British government said Akande won the support of most UN member countries in a vote that was very close.
It said his campaign had backing from the Prime Minister, ministers and British diplomats around the world.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the win showed that Britain still cares about international law and wants to play a bigger role in world affairs.
He said the professor would bring honesty, sharp legal thinking and independence to the court.
Akande said he was honoured by the trust the UN countries had placed in him.
He promised to do the job independently and to judge cases fairly based on the law.
He also said he looked forward to helping the court settle disputes peacefully.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband also congratulated him.
He said people everywhere he goes speak highly of the professor, and that the UK was proud to support his campaign.
Akande is a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and an elected member of the UN International Law Commission.
He has close to thirty years of experience as a scholar and practitioner of international law.
He has worked as a lawyer and adviser in cases before international courts, including the ICJ, and has advised governments from all five UN regional groups as well as organisations like the UN and the African Union.
He studied at Oxford, the London School of Economics and Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria.
In 2024 he was put forward to represent the UK on the ICJ.