Meet Kanu Godwin Agabi, the Legal Veteran Challenging the State of Nigerian Democracy

Kanu Godwin Agabi is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria with 40 years under his belt. In 1997  he served two-terms as the federation’s Attorney General.  

Agabi was also Minister of Justice, where he distinguished himself as Nigeria’s Chief Legal Officer and top attorney in the country.

On September 15, 1997, Agabi was named a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He attempted to run for governor of Cross River State in the elections of April 1999, but Donald Duke prevailed. According to reports, he ran for the same office in the 2003 elections.

He currently holds the position of Principal Partner at Nigeria’s top law firm, Kanu G. Agabi & Associates.

Due to his contributions to fostering the nation, Kanu Agabi has been awarded the title of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON). Kanu Agabi served as the President’s Special Advisor on Ethics and Good Governance as well as the Minister of Solid Minerals Development.

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Minister of Justice 

Agabi wrote in a letter to the state governors of Nigeria in March 2002 regarding how the application of strict Islamic law, or Sharia law, was illegal since some Sharia rulings discriminated against Muslims.

In August 2002, Amina Lawal, a young Nigerian woman charged with giving birth to a child outside of marriage, received a death-by-stoning verdict that was upheld by an appeals court for the Shari’ah in Funtua, Katsina State. Amnesty International put pressure on Agabi to end the death penalty in Nigeria.

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