Sir Salako Benka-Coker | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of Sierra Leone | |
| In office 1960–1963 | |
| Preceded by | Vahe Robert Bairamian |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Bankole Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Salako Benka-Coker 1900 |
| Died | 1965 |
| Profession | Jurist, Justice |
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.[1] He was awarded a Knighthood of the British Empire in 1961.[2]
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.[1]
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.[3][1]