Hon. Justice Florence Ikwuoma Duroha-Igwe

Hon. Justice Florence Ikwuoma Duroha-Igwe, 

(First Female Administrative Judge of the Imo State Judiciary High Court of Justice, President of FID Foundation For The Needy)

Hon. Justice Florence Ikwoma Duroha-Igwe is a well seasoned, retired Judge of the Imo State Judiciary, High Court of Justice, Nigeria, one of the finest of the bench.

She obtained a Bachelor of Law with honours (LL.B.Hons) from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus in 1976 and upon completion of the Nigeria Law School, Lagos (B. L. ) she was called to the Nigeria bar in 1977.

She hails from Isuikwuato Local Government Area (L.G.A) of Abia State, South - East Nigeria and she is the First Female Lawyer in her L.G A. Soon after Law school in 1977, she worked with Akpamgbo and Okolo's Chambers, she served as the Officer in charge of Prosecutions, State C.I.D, Police Headquarters, Kaduna during her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), she worked with A.C. Orah & Co., Solicitors and Advocates, she was also a Part- Time Lecturer of Business Law at the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu State as well as The Polytechnic, Nekede Imo State. She worked as Senior Administrative Officer at the Nigeria Television Authority, Zone C Headquarters, Enugu State and was also a Senior State Counsel II in the Legal Drafting Unit of the Imo State House of Assembly. 

In November 1981, she was appointed as Magistrate Grade I and served in several Magisterial districts in Imo State. Through diligence and hard work, His Lordship rose through the ranks of Chief Magistrate Grade II, Chief Magistrate Grade I and became the Chief Registrar of Imo State Customary Court of Appeal in January 1992. She is the First Female Chief Registrar of the Imo State Judiciary as well as the First Female Chief Magistrate to head a Magisterial district in Imo State.

In November 1998, she was appointed as a High Court Judge of the Imo State Judiciary and subsequently as an Administrative Judge in April 2015. His Lordship became the First Female Judge of the Local Government Area where she married into (Ideato North L.G.A, Imo State). Hon. Justice Florence .I. Duroha-Igwe made great strides in the Judiciary, presiding over numerous cases, delivering sound, exceptional judgements that have stood the test of time and establishing a spotless reputation which has inspired many women within and outside the field. She qualified as a Fellow, Chartered Arbitrators, Nigeria in 2015, thus, bagging the honours of FCIArb.

She has attended series of National and International workshops, seminars /conferences which have imbibed in her the necessary skills and orientations required for each key position she has occupied, making her the Best person for the Job. Some of these workshops and seminars include: Orientation workshop for States Top political functionaries Office of Establishments and Management Services organized by The Presidency in collaboration with Administrative Staff College of Nigeria and the Center for Democratic Studies (1992), Workshop on Judicial Administration for Chief Registrars and Chief Magistrates in the Federation (organized by the National Judicial Institute in collaboration with the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria, 1993, 1994), National Judicial Institute: Orientation Workshop on managing Government Business, 1994, National Judicial Institute: Judicial Administration for Administrative Judicial Officers in the Federation, 1997, Seminar on Domestic Violence, organized by the Women Centre for Peace and Development (WOPED, 1998), The Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association Conference at The Island of Jersey, 2005 and a host of others. She has also delivered series of lectures covering various fields. Some of these lectures are: 'Eliminating Domestic Violence: "From Legal Barriers to Legal Solutions. A Keynote Address." , Hints on Court Administration, Annual Law Week Lecture Series - "Ethics of the Legal Profession" and a lot more.

His Lordships love for humanity and quest to give back to the vulnerable and less privileged of the society, birthed the Florence Duroha (FID) Foundation For The Needy in 2019, a Non Governmental Organization through which she has been conducting outreach to prisons, creating awareness (in the fields of eduction, living condition, health care, rehabilitation of disabled and many other areas) through seminars, workshops, exposure visits and training programs. FID Foundation for the Needy has taken initiatives to work with women educational programs regarding women development especially in marginalized areas.

His Lordships impeccable, incorruptible and unmatched records have led her to be appointed as the Chairperson of several Committees including the Imo State Judiciary Rules Review Committee (2017), Imo State Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Lands and Related Matters (2019-2020) and Imo State Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Police Brutality and Extra-Judicial Killings (2020-2021). 

Hon. Justice Florence .I. Duroha-Igwe, an epitome of integrity, believes that justice should be dispensed without fear or favour. She always stands by the truth not minding whose ox is gored. To her, justice is everything and in the course of promoting the rule of law in and outside the courts, she stepped on toes which brought along consequences, nevertheless, she has never been deterred as she always trusts in GOD to see her through any challenges. Her strict parental upbringing coupled with the mission schools she attended, infused strong indelible moral values in her. While growing up, it was always drummed into her ears that one should be steadfast in life, stand for the truth and accept the consequences of ones decisions. She believes that she will be required to give GOD account of her stewardship while on earth and thus, endeavours in all she does not to be found wanting on Judgement day.

His Lordships shinning qualities were equally recognised in her church as she served as Legal Adviser of the Methodist Church, Owerri and eventually became the First Female Lay President of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, South-East from 2011 to 2017. 

She is a life member of the International Federation of Female Lawyers (F.I.D.A).

She took a bow from the bench in May 2018 and now manages her Law Firm, Duroha-Igwe & Partners (Isaac-Comfort Chambers) through which she has continued to fight for the rights of the oppressed. To show how her years of meritorious service as a Judge positively impacted lives within and outside the Legal Profession, a book with detailed case illustrations called, ‘Challenges of Law in Promotion of Justice’ was published in her honour by a group of Lawyers, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Magistrates and Law Professors.

(Information From the book  ‘Challenges of Law in Promotion of Justice: Essays in Honour of Honourable Justice Florence Ikwuoma Duroha-Igwe)