Justice Emmanuel Araka

Birth Date: September 0, 1925

Home Town: Onitsha

Location: Onitsha

Country: Nigeria

Alumni: Old Student

Category: LAW AND ORDER

Period: 1940 - 1944

Profession: Chief judge (rtd)

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Submitted By: abi

Born in September 1925 at Onitsha, Araka attended IGS in the early 40s. He then studied Law in Dublin, Trinity College, University of Dublin, like many of his colleagues. In 1950, he obtained a B.A and did his LL.B. He also sat for his bar final examination October of the same year. He was called to the bar in January 1951. Araka came back to Nigeria in April 1951 and started practising at Onitsha.

In December 1961, he contested and won election, on the platform of NCNC, to the Federal House of parliament from Onitsha constituency against Chief Philip Umeadi, another IGS alumnus. He was in the parliament till 1954 after which he went back to practice law. Araka was soon elevated to a Queen Counsel which is equivalent to the present Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

During the Civil War, he was in the Biafran enclave. But unfortunately, he did not get on well with the Biafran authorities. Ojukwu fell out with many Onitsha people after his experience with Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, another IGS alumnus. Ojukwu didn't trust Onitsha people and Araka was thrown into confinement at Achina with others till the end of the war.  After the war, Araka was appointed a judge in 1972 and posted to Abakaliki. In 1974, he went to Nsukka and in 1978, he was appointed a Chief Judge of Anambra State.

Justice Araka presided over a lot of cases as a judge involving the government and in most of them he ruled against the government. Justice Emmanuel Araka sent legal luminary, Dr. Olu Onagoruwa to jail in 1979. He was the CJ in the battle for the Enugu Government house in 1983 between Nwobodo and Onoh.