Bawa Hails Elevation of 3 EFCC Prosecutors to  SAN Rank

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has commended the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC),  for elevating two staff and prosecutors of the EFCC, Sylvanus Tahir, Rotimi  Oyedepo and a private prosecutor to the commission, Wahab Shittu, to the coveted rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

He gave the commendation while in Abuja while reacting on the decision of the LPPC that approved the elevation of 62 lawyers, including two EFCC’s prosecutors,  to the rank of SAN.  

A statement by the commission said the Bawa stated that the committee acted rightly  in recognising the sterling qualities of the two prosecutors, stressing that their elevation was well-deserved. 

He particularly expressed delight with the standard of the law library in the EFCC which he described as “well-equipped, competitive and second to none”.

“We are committed to the development of legal practice in Nigeria through our painstaking equipping of our law library and adequate training of our lawyers.  The LPPC has taken very informed decisions by the elevation of the two prosecutors.  I am  positive that many more will still be elevated”, he enthused. 

Tahir  and Oyedepo were yesterday approved to be elevated to the rank of SAN.

Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Hajo Bello, in a statement on Thursday,  said  their elevation was based on a decision reached at the LPPC’s 154th plenary session.

According to him, “the rank of a senior advocate of Nigeria(SAN) is awarded as a mark of excellence to members of the legal profession who have distinguished themselves as advocates and academics”.

The two EFCC prosecutors, alongside 60 others, will be sworn in on Monday, November 21, 2022.

Tahir heads the legal and prosecution unit at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters.  He is renowned for securing convictions of politically-exposed persons for the EFCC.  

“Resourceful, unassuming and versed in the pyrotechnics of law, he is a well-regarded  prosecutor difficult to beat in any trial.

“Oyedepo also heads the Chairman’s Monitoring Unit in the Lagos Command of the EFCC.  A crack prosecutor with shining credentials,  his brilliant appearance  at the Court of  Appeal and the Supreme Court,  upheld the constitutionality of Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offence Act, which now  empowers the commission to confiscate properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

Also on the list of the 62 new SANs is a private prosecutor with the EFCC,  Mr. Wahab Shittu.