CJN, AGF, NBA president charges SANs on upholding ethics, earning public trust

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, and the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, have urged newly elevated Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) to uphold professional ethics and accountability amid concerns about declining public confidence in the justice system.

They gave the admonition on Monday at the Supreme Court’s opening of the 2026/2027 legal year in Abuja.

They stressed that the prestigious rank carries responsibilities to the legal profession and the public and must not shield its holders from scrutiny over their conduct.

They also highlighted wider concerns about professional misconduct, delays in resolving disciplinary complaints and the need for the justice system to earn Nigerians’ confidence through accountability and effective service.

The annual legal year ceremony marks the formal commencement of a new judicial year at the Supreme Court and provides an opportunity for the judiciary and the wider legal profession to reflect on their work and responsibilities in the administration of justice.

The occasion also features the conferment of the rank of SAN, one of the highest professional distinctions in the country’s legal profession, on lawyers who have demonstrated exceptional distinction in advocacy or made significant contributions to legal scholarship.

At Monday’s ceremony, Mrs Kekere-Ekun administered the oath to 67 advocates and one academic, Nnamdi Onyeka Obiaraeri, a professor of law at Imo State University, Owerri, and a former dean of its Faculty of Law. Four women were among the 68 recipients.

The new SANs had been approved by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee at its 174th plenary session in July.

CJN warns senior lawyers against misconduct

Mrs Kekere-Ekun, who presided over the ceremony, reminded the new SANs that their elevated status carried responsibilities to the legal profession and the public and did not exempt them from accountability.

“The Inner Bar is not merely a recognition of professional success; it is a call to leadership,” she said, urging the new SANs to carry the rank with dignity, humility and a deep sense of responsibility.

She added that disciplinary action against senior members of the profession during the previous legal year should remind lawyers that professional distinction did not replace ethical conduct.

“The fact that a lawyer has attained the rank of Senior Advocate does not place him beyond accountability,” she said.

The CJN also condemned the use of social media to intimidate judges, ridicule legal practitioners and turn professional disagreements into personal attacks.

She warned that the integrity of the justice system depended on allowing judges to decide cases without fear of retaliation and lawyers to make legitimate submissions without intimidation.

With another electoral season approaching, she cautioned judges against political associations or conduct that could create an appearance of partiality.

She also urged lawyers to avoid forum shopping and the filing of multiple proceedings seeking substantially similar reliefs, warning that such practices could produce conflicting orders and delay other cases.

She noted that the judiciary must remain accessible to all litigants, adding that politically prominent cases should not prevent other cases from receiving timely attention. Lawyers, she stressed, had a duty to disclose related proceedings and respect the jurisdiction and processes of other courts.

On the Supreme Court’s workload, Mrs Kekere-Ekun reported an increase in the number of matters handled during the 2025/2026 legal year.

“During the 2025/2026 Legal Year, the Supreme Court handled 2,456 matters, comprising 1,179 general civil motions, 573 criminal motions, 13 Sharia-related motions and 676 appeals.”

She said the appeals comprised 433 general civil appeals, 212 criminal appeals, 19 political appeals, 12 Sharia appeals and 10 originating summons.

The court delivered 411 judgments during the period, compared with 369 judgments and rulings from 2,280 matters in the preceding legal year.

She acknowledged that the figures alone could not fully measure the court’s performance but highlighted measures introduced to reduce its backlog.

These included scheduling 1,385 matters for regular sittings, bringing 733 older cases forward, disposing of 178 moribund matters in chambers and removing 125 concluded cases from the active docket.

According to her, the court also assigned 141 matters to special panels dealing with Sharia cases, matters involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), revenue cases and proceedings arising from the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).

Mrs Kekere-Ekun said the Supreme Court had begun implementing the Nigerian Case Management System and mandatory electronic filing in July to improve case management, protect judicial records and reduce administrative delays.

The reforms were being introduced in phases, beginning with pending appeals listed for hearing between September and December 2026.

She also called for the timely release of funds appropriated for the judiciary, warning that delayed disbursements could disrupt projects, procurement and the provision of essential services.

She called for continued efforts to reduce case backlogs, expand alternative dispute resolution where appropriate and invest in the professional development and welfare of judicial officers and court staff.

AGF warns against commercialisation of SAN rank, calls for faster discipline

The AGF, who is also the minister of justice, warned that the rank of SAN risked losing its value if it became more about financial gain than professional service.

“My office is concerned about the increasing number of cases of professional misconduct, especially against senior members of the Bar,” he said, urging the modernisation of the LPDC to make its processes “rapid and transparent”.

“When complaints stall for years, the public concludes that the legal profession is designed to protect its own wrongdoers,” he said.

Mr Fagbemi said the SAN rank, established in 1975 to recognise exceptional professional distinction, carried obligations beyond advocacy and personal achievement.

He urged the new SANs and their more senior colleagues to preserve the rank’s integrity through ethical conduct, mentorship and service to society.

“The silk gown is not a commercial licence; it is a mantle of professional, constitutional, and social responsibility,” he said.

He urged senior lawyers to help younger practitioners develop professionally, promote affordable access to justice, reduce court congestion, defend fundamental rights and uphold the rule of law.

NBA president warns that the justice system must earn public trust

Also speaking at the ceremony, the president of the NBA, warned that the legal profession could not rely on its standing among its members to secure public confidence.

Mrs Badejo-Okusanya, who was inaugurated in August, called for greater accountability, professional discipline and reforms that deliver tangible improvements for court users.

She illustrated the need for accountability with the deaths of suspected illegal miners in Niger State.

The victims were among people arrested during operations against suspected illegal mining around the M.I. Wushishi-Lukoto area in September.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that 37 were later found dead at a detention facility operated by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), prompting calls for an investigation into the circumstances of their deaths.

Mrs Badejo-Okusanya urged the authorities to establish what happened, identify those responsible and investigate credible allegations of abuse.

She also called for investigations into those who organised or benefited from unlawful mining where evidence established their involvement.

She added that children found at mining sites should be assessed for possible exploitation rather than automatically treated as offenders.

She also urged lawyers to uphold professional standards, citing misconduct such as misleading clients, failing to communicate and mishandling client funds, and told Lawyers to also avoid unnecessary applications and unsubstantiated objections that add to court congestion.

Mrs Badejo-Okusanya further urged public officers to obey court orders, regardless of whether the decisions favoured them.

As another electoral season approached, she cautioned lawyers against making unsupported allegations against judges when dissatisfied with court decisions.

She said the NBA would continue to defend judicial independence against intimidation and improper interference while pursuing substantiated complaints through the appropriate channels.

Also speaking on behalf of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), Wole Olanipekun, a former president of the NBA, raised concerns about procedural obstacles facing lawyers seeking to appeal disciplinary decisions and called for reforms to protect their right to challenge such decisions.

He urged the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal to resolve uncertainty over applications for leave to appeal, while calling on the AGF to consider amending the Legal Practitioners Act to address gaps in the disciplinary appeal process.

“Justice is not a one-way traffic,” he said.

Mr Olanipekun also called for greater consistency in judicial decisions and improvements to the Supreme Court’s electronic filing system.

He urged newly elevated SANs to remain “humble”, “sober” and responsible, warning them against arrogance, disrespect towards judges and attacks on the judiciary when judgments go against them.

He said every case involved real people and families, urging judges to consider the human consequences of their decisions while upholding precedent and fairness.