Some lives are lived in chapters. Others, like that of Late Barrister Friday Bagshaw Batubo (Esq.) JP, are lived in volumes.

Born on a Good Friday, April 11th, 1941, in the historic town of Buguma, Asari-Toru, Rivers State, his birth seemed prophetic. To a family that understood symbolism, being born on Good Friday was grace, purpose, and strength rolled into one. He was a Prince by blood – son of Late Sir Omoni Bagshaw Batubo and Princess Kalado Bagshaw Batubo, descendant of King Amakiri III of the Kalabari Kingdom – but he chose to become a King by intellect.

The Boy Who Loved Books

Long before law books filled his shelves, little Friday was in Salvation Army Primary School, Ogui Enugu, then Umuahia and finally Holy Trinity, Aggrey Road, Port Harcourt where he finished in 1959. Kalabari National College, Buguma (1960-1964) and Anglican Grammar School, Nsukka (1965) shaped the disciplined mind that would define him.

Then came war.

He Saw War and Chose Education

In 1967, when the Nigerian Civil War erupted, he was recruited into the Biafran Army at Enugu Barracks. He served with courage through the brutal realities of war and walked out uninjured – not bitter, but more determined.

While many returned from war seeking rest, Batubo returned seeking more school.

In 1973, he earned a Diploma in Library Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He crossed seas to England – Leeds Polytechnic (now Metropolitan University) for his BA (Hons) Librarianship in 1980, and Loughborough University in 1981 for his Masters.

Then, in his 40s, when most men are settling, he fell in love again – with Law. LLB from Rivers State University of Science and Technology in 1992. Called to the Nigerian Bar in 1993.

He became the rare man who mastered both the Library and the Courtroom.

Four Decades of Service

For 21 years (1973-1994), he served the Rivers State Library Board, rising from Library Officer to Chief Librarian. He moved to the Rivers State House of Assembly as Chief Research Officer, then Ministry of Education as Assistant Director and Legal Adviser (1994-1997), then Ministry of Justice as Principal State Counsel until his meritorious retirement in April 2006.

But retirement was just a change of chambers. He founded Abasa and Batubo – Solicitor, Mediator, Arbitrator. And he returned to his first love: the university library.

• Law Librarian & Acting University Librarian, Niger Delta University (2007-2013)
• Law Librarian, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt (2013-2025) – serving till the very end.

The Man Behind The Titles

Batubo was a Deeper Life Christian to the core. His signature send-off was “God bless you, man.” His signature joy was a loud “Hallelujah!” – a word he still shouted even on his sickbed.

He was a proud member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerian Library Association, Nigerian Institute of Management, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK & Nigeria).

In public, he was a disciplinarian. In Buguma and Port Harcourt, parents invoked his name to correct their children: “I will tell Batubo for you!” And it worked. Behind that stern face was a man who believed that to deny a child education was to deny them a future. He pushed, he paid, he insisted that everyone around him must go to school.

Family

He loved deeply. Married Rosetta Kilali (nee Tobin-West) in 1974 until her transition in 2006. In 2008, he found companionship again with Bell Audra Nelly Dikibeni.

His later years were quiet – peace, reflection, family devotion, and unwavering faith.

The Final Chapter

On October 22nd, 2025, at about 12 noon, the great librarian-lawyer closed his final chapter and went home peacefully.

He was husband, father, grandfather, uncle, mentor.

He left behind not just books and judgments, but a legacy template: That you can be both a custodian of knowledge and a seeker of justice. That you can be a Prince and still be humble. That you can survive war and still believe in peace.

Friday Bagshaw Batubo (Esq.) JP lived 84 timeless years. And timeless he will remain.

Credits:

Biography compiled from video biography supplied by Jerome Batubo (Son).