THE FIRST LAWYER FROM THE EAST OF. THE NIGER AND DISTINGUISHED LEGISLATOR SIR LOUIS NWACHUKWU MBANEFO KT. (13 May 1911-28 March 1977)

Sir Louis Nwachukwu Mbanefo was born on May 13, 1911, in Odojele Village in the larger part of Onitsha, Anambra State. His father, Odu Mbanefo, was a traditional chief. He attended the University College, London, where he studied law, graduating with Upper Second Class Honours in 1935. Shortly after that, he was called to the bar. He was then admitted to Kings College in Cambridge, where he obtained a further degree in history in 1937.

After studying, he returned to Onitsha and set up his own law firm. He was the first lawyer in the area at the time. His practice covered a huge area, basically the East and North of the country. He made several notable appearances in landmark cases before the Regional Court, Supreme Court, and West African Court of Appeal.

Mbanefo was later elected into the Eastern Region Parliament in 1950, where he stood out as an excellent orator and legislator. He, however, returned to practising law and was called to the Bench in 1952, becoming a justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

He reached the peak of his judicial career when he was appointed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as an ad hoc Judge, a position he occupied till 1966, when he returned to his post as Chief Justice of the Eastern Region. His ICJ appointment spanned over four years, and that was the defining moment of his career and an indelible legacy to international law.

When the Biafra War broke out, he was appointed Chief Justice of Biafra and Ambassador Plenipotentiary. He was actively involved in the peace talks with the Nigerian government and worked actively towards a diplomatic resolution of the crisis.

There is, therefore, no gainsaying that history will judge Sir Louis as a man of sterling courage and integrity who was a key player in the process of effectively negotiating an end to hostilities during the war.