A great Iroko of the Inner Bar has fallen. A gentleman of the finest mould and a distinguished Learned Senior Advocate has taken his final bow. It was with sadness that I received the news from his family earlier today, August 9, 2026.
I first encountered Professor Kasunmu as a young lawyer in the early 1990s, at the Lagos High Court. I watched, transfixed, as he addressed the Court with a refinement of language and a brilliance of advocacy that left an indelible impression on my mind. Even then, I knew I was in the presence of greatness.
His name would forever be synonymous with legal excellence, intellectual rigour, and unimpeachable integrity. It was only through the privilege of knowing the man himself, beyond the robes and the citations, that I came to fully grasp the true measure of his towering stature.
Professor Kasunmu was a colossus in the legal profession and a luminous beacon in legal education. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he wielded the law as a noble instrument of justice and social transformation through persuasion. In the courtroom and classroom, he commanded respect through his wisdom and the quiet, dignity of his carriage.
To many of us in the legal profession, he was the gold standard, the benchmark against which we must measure our own aspirations and carriage. Prof was a mentor whose footsteps we sought to trace, even when we knew the path was steep and the pace formidable. His dedication to the law, his tireless service to humanity, and his high moral compass have left an indelible imprint on our professional and personal journeys.
I join the Kasunmu family in mourning this irreplaceable loss.
May his gentle soul, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Prof. Fabian Ajogwu OFR, SAN
