By Olumide Opeyemi Toyinbo
The Faculty of Law, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), is entering a significant phase in its institutional development with the appointment of Professor Kabiru Garba Muhammad as its new Dean. Established during the 1977/78 academic session, just two years after the University began academic activities, the Faculty of Law is among the earliest and most prominent faculties of the institution.
Over the past years, it has evolved into a centre of legal scholarship in Nigeria, widely respected for its emphasis on academic rigour and its distinctive dual-law curriculum, which integrates both Common and Islamic Law.
The emergence of Professor Muhammad as Dean represents a strategic advancement for the Faculty. His academic career and administrative record reflect the values necessary for transformational leadership in contemporary legal education. He is widely recognised for his intellectual depth, principled leadership, and commitment to institutional growth. These attributes will be instrumental in consolidating and advancing the Faculty’s academic reputation.
Professor Muhammad commenced his legal education with a Distinction in the Diploma in Sharia and Civil Law from the Sokoto State College of Legal and Islamic Studies in 1991. He briefly worked with the Nigerian Prisons Service, and later served as a teacher with the Sokoto State Ministry of Education, where he was posted to Government Secondary School, Maru.
In 1992, he joined the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and was deployed to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. He later earned his LL.B (Second Class Upper Division) from Usmanu Danfodiyo University in 2004 and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus, where he was called to the Bar in 2006. He obtained his LL.M in 2010, Ph.D in Law in 2015, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education in 2018, all from the same university.
Professor Muhammad began his academic journey at the Faculty of Law, UDUS, in 2008 as an Assistant Lecturer. Through consistent scholarly excellence, merit-based advancement, and dedication to the institution, he rose through the academic ranks and was ultimately promoted to the position of full Professor of Business and ICT Law in 2024.
His administrative contributions are equally notable. He served as Departmental Examination Officer (2010–2017), Faculty Examination Officer (2015–2021), Deputy Director of the Academic Planning Unit of UDUS (2019), and Director of the same Unit from 2020 to 2024. In these roles, he contributed meaningfully to academic quality assurance and institutional planning. He continues to serve on various strategic university committees.
Professor Muhammad’s research contributions cover critical areas of Business Law, ICT Law, Electronic Banking, Corporate Governance, Islamic Law, and Telecommunications Regulation. He has authored several scholarly works and published extensively in reputable law texts and peer-reviewed academic journals.
His academic focus primarily interrogates legal responses to technological innovation, financial regulation, and governance issues. Among his notable publications are Corporate Law and Practice in Nigeria: Current Issues and New Trends, Electronic Banking Law and Practice in Nigeria: An Introduction, An Appraisal of the Global Legal Regime of Telecommunications, Airtime Credit Loan and Service Charge/Fee by Telecommunications Service Providers in Nigeria: Islamic Law Perspective, Limited Liability Partnership and the Concept of Perpetual Succession in Nigeria: An Appraisal, and the co-authored and co-edited volume Legal Paradigm in Nigeria: A New Direction in the Study of Law and Practice.
Having personally benefited from Professor K.G. Muhammad’s academic tutelage and leadership, and having been taught the Law of Corporate Management and Finance by him as an LL.M student at UDUS, I can confidently attest to his profound intellect, genuine humility, and steadfast commitment to both academic and professional excellence.
His mentorship is marked by clarity of thought, generosity of spirit, and a consistent dedication to nurturing critical thinking and ethical responsibility in his students. He is deeply invested in the personal and academic growth of those under his supervision, and his leadership is both affirming and exemplary.
Notably, Professor Muhammad’s commitment to the Faculty extends beyond his formal academic and administrative roles. In 2020, when he personally funded the construction of the Faculty’s signage, he shared in an interview with PEN PRESS UDUS that the gesture was a token of appreciation to his Alma Mater. He described the Faculty of Law as his academic home, having obtained all his degrees within its walls.
His intention, he explained, was not to seek recognition or show affluence, but to encourage students and alumni to remember their roots and contribute, in whatever way they can, to the growth of the institution.
In essence, it is no gainsaying that the appointment of Professor Kabiru Garba Muhammad as Dean heralds a promising and purposeful new chapter for the Faculty of Law at UDUS. I extend my warmest wishes to the Learned Professor as he embarks on this important leadership journey. May Allah (SWT) inspire him with wisdom beyond intellect, and bless him with strength, sincerity, and success in all his efforts. May his leadership bring progress, peace, and lasting benefit to the Faculty and beyond. Ameen.
Olumide Opeyemi Toyinbo
Legal Practitioner
olumideopeyemitoyinbo@gmail.com
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