Ekiti State is in mourning following the passing of its Chief Judge, Justice Oyewole Adeyeye, who died on Monday, November 4, 2024, at a tertiary health institution in Ekiti after a brief illness.
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Although the specifics surrounding his death have not been formally disclosed, sources reveal that Justice Adeyeye was hospitalized shortly before his passing.
Born in 1960 in Araromi Ugbesi, Ekiti East Local Government, Justice Adeyeye had a distinguished legal career spanning nearly four decades. Called to the bar in 1986, he began his career as a State counsel in the old Ondo State's civil service.
Following the establishment of Ekiti State in 1996, he joined the Ekiti State Judiciary Service Commission and rose through the ranks, eventually being appointed as a High Court Judge in 2002.
Sworn in as Chief Judge on October 11, 2021, by former Governor Kayode Fayemi, Justice Adeyeye presided over the judiciary during a period marked by significant legal and social transformations.
He was also well-regarded for his work on election petition tribunals, where his decisions contributed to maintaining judicial integrity in the state.
Justice Adeyeye’s sudden death has left the Ekiti legal community and the state government in shock. Tributes are already pouring in from colleagues and officials who remember him as a dedicated, principled jurist and a pillar of Ekiti’s judicial system.