There was a brief protest at the Supreme Court in Abuja on Monday morning as some legal practitioners complained about being prevented from gaining immediate access to the court premises during the special session marking the commencement of the 2026/2027 legal year and the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on 68 lawyers.
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In a video clip shared on social media by a user identified as Retired Comrade Reacts, several lawyers dressed in ceremonial robes were seen gathered around an entrance to the apex court while access to the premises was being controlled.
One of the lawyers, visibly dissatisfied with the situation, questioned why Senior Advocates and other legal practitioners were being kept outside and alleged that access was being delayed because officials were awaiting the arrival of a politician.
“How can SANs be prevented from having access to the Supreme Court because we are waiting for a politician?” he asked.
“We legal practitioners in Nigeria have allowed politicians to ride roughshod over the judiciary for too long, and now we are seeing the consequences.”
The lawyer used the incident to raise broader concerns about what he described as the growing influence of political considerations over the judiciary and blamed members of the legal profession for allowing the situation to persist.
@thenigerialawyer“How Can SANs Be Denied Access To Supreme Court While We Wait For A Politician?” — Lawyer Protests At Swearing-In Of 68 New Silks♬ original sound – TheNigeriaLawyer
TheNigeriaLawyer understands that admission to the special session was being regulated through invitation cards and that some of those initially denied access did not have invitations.
However, there were also complaints from some persons at the entrance who said they possessed valid invitation cards but were still unable to gain immediate access to the court.
The available video captures lawyers gathered at the entrance and the protest over the restriction. It does not, however, establish the identity of the politician referred to by the lawyer or independently confirm that access was specifically restricted because officials were awaiting the arrival of any political office-holder.
The incident occurred as judges, Senior Advocates, members of the Outer Bar, government officials and other invited guests gathered at the Supreme Court for the opening of the new legal year and the formal admission of 68 lawyers into the Inner Bar.
Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, presided over the special session during which the 68 successful legal practitioners were formally conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
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