The Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) has approved the elevation of the wife of human rights lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, Funmi, and 57 other legal practitioners to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), raising the total of SANS in Nigeria to 813.
As contained in an official diary of the Federal High Court seen by our correspondent, 621 SANs have been sworn-in from 1975 to 2020, while 62 were sworn in during the 2022 legal year.
THE WHISTLER reported that 72 legal practitioners were conferred with SAN rank on December 8, 2021 by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Ibrahim Tanko at the Supreme Court Premises, Abuja.
Late Chief F.R.A Williams was first to be conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 1975 while more than 50 of them are now deceased.
Meanwhile, a statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court / Secretary of the LPPC, Hajo Sarki-Bello Thursday, said 58 lawyers will on November 27 be inaugurated as new senior advocates at the Supreme Court by the CJN Olukayode Ariwoola.
The latest information puts the total number of SANs at 813.
According to Sarki-Bello, the new SANs scaled through due to their excellence in the law profession and in the adherence to the code of Ethics of the profession.
The secretary added that the LPPC reviewed four different petitions against some of the lawyers but eventually dismissed them for lack of merit.
THE WHISTLER reports that the LPPC is vested with powers to determine the number of persons to be conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria each year.
Those to be conferred with SAN rank include Lawrence Bankole Falade, Kingsley Obamogie, Folasade Alli, Abiola Isiaq Oyebanji, Bomo Olakunle Agbebi, Daniel Uruakpa, and Oseloka Godwin Osuigwe.
