Sir Salako Ambrosius Benka-Coker (1900–1965) was a Sierra Leonean judge of the Supreme Court and the first African to hold the position of Chief Justice of the newly independent state. He was awarded a Knighthood of the British Empire in 1961.
Early life and education Born in 1900 to Sierra Leone Creole parents, Benka-Coker attended the Sierra Leone Grammar School in Freetown and later Fourah Bay College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1916. He later attended Durham University, followed by the Middle Temple before being called to the Bar in 1926.Fyle, Magbaily C. Historical Dictionary of Sierra Leone. Vol. 99. Scarecrow Press, 2006.
Career and legal luminary Benka-Coker established a private legal practice in Bathurst, Gambia before accepting an appointment in 1943 as Crown Counsel in Sierra Leone. Between 1953 and 1957, he was attorney-general before his appointment as Chief Justice in 1960.“Legal Education in Africa.” Journal of African Law, vol. 6, no. 1, 1962, pp. 1–1. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/745154. Accessed 21 Apr. 2023.
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