Former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Aare Olumuyiwa Akinboro, SAN, has strongly criticised the decision requiring newly cleared Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to undergo screening by the Department of State Services (DSS).
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In a statement issued on Monday, Akinboro described the move as an intrusion into the independence of the legal profession, stressing that the conferment of the SAN rank is not a political appointment or an executive privilege but a professional recognition governed strictly by the Legal Practitioners Act and administered by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC).
“The conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria is not a political appointment, nor is it an executive privilege. It is a professional recognition rooted in the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act and administered solely by the LPPC,” he stated.
He maintained that subjecting SAN designates to additional external vetting after the LPPC had already carried out rigorous scrutiny undermines due process and could erode the sanctity of the profession.
“The strength of the Bar has always been its autonomy. If we allow institutions outside the profession to insert themselves into its core processes without legal basis, we open the door to a precedent that may one day compromise not only the rank of SAN but also the independence of our courts, our appointments, and ultimately, our ability to dispense justice without fear or favour,” Akinboro warned.
Calling on the Nigerian Bar Association, the LPPC, and the Body of Benchers to resist the development, Akinboro said silence would amount to acquiescence and a dangerous concession.
“The legal profession must resist every attempt to muscle the Bar. To remain silent is to acquiesce, and acquiescence today may cost us the profession we hold dear tomorrow,” he added.
While some lawyers initially supported his idea, they said that if he is elected Bar President, he may refuse to condemn it and instead give reasons why the SSS should be screening new Senior Advocates.
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