58 Lawyers Elevated to Rank of SAN

Steve Aya

The elevation of 58 legal practitioners to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) has been approved by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC). The LPPC, under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, GCON, took this decision at its 159th plenary session held on October 12, 2023, in Abuja.

According to a statement by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and LPPC Secretary, Hajo Sarki Bello, the new SANs were appointed as a mark of excellence for distinguished advocacy and academic contributions to legal practice.

The LPPC considered four petitions against some Applicants. No merit was found in them, and accordingly, the petitions were dismissed.

The 58 newly appointed SANs comprise 57 legal practitioners and one Academic, Professor Babatunde Adetunji Oni. The Advocates made the list, in the order of their  seniority at the Bar.

The new rank will be formally conferred on the legal luminaries at a swearing-in ceremony scheduled for November 27, 2023.

With the latest elevations, Nigeria now has a total of 681 Senior Advocates, since the rank was first introduced in 1975. The SAN rank aims to recognise experienced legal practitioners who have excelled in advocacy, and made significant contributions to the development of law in Nigeria.