The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) has named 57 legal practitioners as candidates for elevation to the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Kabir Akanbi, announced in a statement on Thursday that the decision was made during the committee’s 169th plenary session, which took place on Tuesday.

“The rank of senior advocate of Nigeria is conferred as a mark of professional excellence upon legal practitioners who have demonstrated exceptional distinction either as advocates in the courts or as academics contributing significantly to the development of legal scholarship,” the statement reads.

“In accordance with the directives of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), all shortlisted prospective Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) conferees are required to attend and successfully complete the pre-swearing-in induction programme.

“Participation in this programme is a mandatory prerequisite for the formal conferment of the rank of SAN.

“Furthermore, in line with Paragraph 25(1) of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Guidelines and the provisions of Rule 39(3) of the Rules of Professional Conduct, 2023, all shortlisted conferees must refrain from publishing and discourage the publication of advertisements, congratulatory messages, or goodwill notices related to their nomination or conferment.

“Any breach of these provisions may attract sanctions for violations of statutory or ethical rules as expressly stated.”

The swearing-in ceremony for the 57 successful applicants is scheduled to be held on September 29, 2025.

READ ALSO: FULL LIST: 27 Judges To Face NJC Probe Over Alleged Judicial Misconduct

Full list below:

• Theophilus Kolawole Esan

• Fedude Zimughan

• Ernest Chikwendu Ikeji

• Victor Esiri Akpoguma

• Leslie Akujuobi Njemanze

• Akintunde Wilson Adewale

• Preye Agedah

• Omamuzo Erebe

• Hannibal Egbe Uwaifo

• Olumide Ekisola

• George Ejie Ukaegbu

• Oromena Justice Ajakpovi

• Tairu Adebayo

• Bawa Akhimie Osali Ibrahim

• Suleh Umar

• Emeka Akabogu

• Godwin Sunday Ogboji

• Godwin Aimuagbonrie Idiagbonya

• Adeolu Olusegun Salako

• Adetunji Oso

• Achinike Godwin William-Wobodo

• Shuaib Agbarere Mustapha

• Adizua Chu-Chu Okoroafor

• Olanrewaju Tasleem Akinsola

• Amaechi Fidelis Iteshi

• Adakole Edwin Inegedu

• Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya

READ ALSO: FULL LIST: NJC Recommends Kekere-Ekun As CJN, 28 Others As Judges

• David Ogenyi Ogebe

• Aminu Sani Gadanya

• Oluseun Awonuga Adeniyi

• Ikechukwu Raphael Uwanna

• Ayodeji Joseph Ademola

• Kelechi Nwaiwu

• Lawal Garba Hudu

• Ibim Simeon Dokubo

• Luka Abubakar Haruna Musa

• Shakeer Adedayo Oshodi

• Oluwole Tolulope Jimi-Bada

• Mubarak Tijani Adekilekun

• Chinyere Ekene Moneme

• Shuaibu Magaji Labaran

• Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh

• Augustine Enenche Audu

• Ali Dussah Zubairu

• Adeyemi Adebambo Pitan

• Habeeb Abdulrahman Oredola

• Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal

• Victor Agunzi

• Nkwegu Luke Ogbagaegwu

• Bidemi Ifedunni Ademola-Bello

• Temilolu Femi Adamolekun

• Abdulkarim Kabiru Maude

• Adedayo Gbolahan Adesina

• Usman Yusuf Zaiyanu

• Taiwo Azeez Hassan

• Olufemi Olubunmi Oyewole

• Chima Josephat Ubanyionwu (Successful Academic Applicant)

The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared the National Youth Service Corps’ refusal to allow female corps members to wear skirts in observance of their religious beliefs as unconstitutional and a breach of the fundamental right to freedom of religion.

In a judgement delivered on June 13, 2025, a certified true copy of which was sighted on Sunday, Justice Hauwa Yilwa held that the NYSC’s enforcement of trousers as the only acceptable uniform for female participants violated the constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of religion and human dignity.

The cases, initially filed separately by former corps members Miss Ogunjobi Blessing and Miss Ayuba Vivian, were later consolidated due to their legal similarities and adjudicated together by Justice Yilwa.

In the suits marked FHC/ABJ/CS/989/2020 and FHC/ABJ/CS/988/2020, the applicants argued that being compelled to wear trousers contradicted their Christian faith, citing Deuteronomy 22:5, which they interpret as prohibiting women from wearing garments associated with men.

READ ALSO:Don’t Lose Hope – NYSC To Corps Members

The applicants, in their separate suits, had sought the enforcement of their fundamental rights to freedom of religion, alleging that these rights had been violated by the respondents.

Listed as respondents in the suits were the National Youth Service Corps and the Director-General of the NYSC.

Their applications were brought pursuant to Order 11, Rules 1–5 of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009; Sections 38 and 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended); Articles 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 17, and 19 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.

They sought the following reliefs, “A declaration that the refusal of the NYSC to recognise and allow skirts as part of the NYSC uniform constitutes a breach of the applicant’s right under Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as Deuteronomy 22:5 of the Bible, and a misinterpretation of Schedule 2, Article 1(I)(a) of the NYSC Bye-Laws 1993.

READ ALSO:Education Minister Seeks Extension Of NYSC To Two Years

“A declaration that the use of skirts by the applicant in the NYSC scheme forms part of her fundamental rights to freedom of religion and to manifest the same in practice and observance as provided for in Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

“A declaration that the harassment, embarrassment, and humiliation suffered by the applicant at the hands of NYSC officials constitute a clear infringement of her rights to freedom of religion and to manifest same in practice, as well as the right to human dignity and protection from degrading treatment.

“An order compelling the respondents, their servants, agents, privies, or anyone acting on their behalf, to recognise, allow, and provide skirts for the applicant or any female corps member wishing to wear same in accordance with Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Deuteronomy 22:5”.

They also demanded damages for ₦10,000,000, and any such further order(s) as the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.

READ ALSO:FG Begins Payment Of N77,000 New Monthly Allowance To NYSC Members

The court in its decision held that the NYSC’s insistence on trousers not only infringed on the applicants’ right to manifest their religion under Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), but also subjected them to undue harassment and degrading treatment.

Justice Yilwa, in a ruling, granted all the reliefs sought by the applicants and issued identical orders in both cases.

“A declaration that the refusal to allow skirts for religious purposes is unconstitutional.

“An order mandating the NYSC to recognise and permit the use of skirts for female corps members with genuine religious objections.

READ ALSO:Hardship: NYSC Tasks Corps Members On Entrepreneurship Development

“A directive compelling the NYSC to recall the affected former corps members and issue their certificates accordingly,” the court stated.

The court further declared that the harassment, embarrassment, and humiliation suffered by the applicants at the hands of NYSC officials constituted a clear infringement of their fundamental rights to religion and freedom to practise it.

The judge awarded ₦500,000 in damages to each applicant for the violation of their fundamental rights.

Although both applicants had sought ₦10 million in damages, the court considered ₦500,000 to be adequate in the circumstances.

READ ALSO:CAC Unveils AI-powered Portal For 30-minute Company Registrations

The judgement emphasised that denying the applicants the opportunity to complete their national service due to their attire amounted to religious discrimination.

“The actions of the respondents resulted in the applicants being embarrassed and humiliated.

“This is a blatant infringement of their fundamental rights,” Justice Yilwa stated.

Baba Shehu Ahmad, with K.A.Lawal, represented the applicant in the suit while J.E. Okpe appeared for the respondents.

Former governor of Bayelsa State and serving senator, Seriake Dickson, has commended the late President Muhammadu Buhari for demonstrating political maturity by respecting opposition voices and refraining from using the judiciary as a political weapon during his administration.

Buhari died at a London hospital in the United Kingdom at the age of 82 on Sunday, July 13, 2025, after a protracted illness.

On Wednesday, the National Assembly held separate but emotionally charged sessions in his honour, during which lawmakers paid glowing tributes to the late president.

The lawmakers called on President Bola Tinubu to immortalise him by naming a national monument after him.

READ ALSO:Nigerians Spent Over $3.6bn Annually On Foreign Healthcare Under Buhari

Reflecting on his shared moments with the late military head of state in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, Dickson noted that the former president deserved credit for his restraint, especially during moments of heightened political tension.

“Buhari didn’t discriminate between APC and PDP states; he did it for all. I spoke of how, in the 2015 general election, which, to my knowledge, remains the toughest governorship election in this country,” Dickson wrote.

“Buhari directed all security agencies and INEC to be fair. It was reassuring. He told me when he gave that directive, even though they didn’t comply on the ground, it was reassuring that the President understood the need for fairness and respect for the rights of the people.”

He stressed that even in 2020 when his tenure was up and his successor’s election was approaching, the late President allowed fairness to decide the game.

READ ALSO:Inside £3,500 Per day Elite London Clinic Where Buhari Died

“In 2020, when my tenure was up and my successor’s election was imminent, President Buhari also called for fairness.

“Even when the elections were leaked and results were written and announced, with his advanced team already in Bayelsa less than 24 hours to handing over, President Buhari never called the judiciary of Nigeria to influence their decision. He allowed the law to take its course,” the ex-Bayelsa governor said.

Dickson recalled that after the courts ruled in favour of Governor Douye Diri, Buhari made light of the situation in a joking manner.

“Later, when he saw Governor Diri, he merely cracked a joke that myself and the governor had better control of the judiciary, and then, he laughed,” Dickson said.

READ ALSO:UNILAG Sets Qualification Criteria As 2025 Undergraduate Admission Screening Begins

The lawmaker noted that although he strongly disagreed with many of Buhari’s policies, the former president never targeted him or other opposition figures with hostility.

“I myself disagreed with Buhari’s politics and policies. I mobilised all South-South governors and led them to oppose the injustice meted out to Justice Onnoghen when he was sacked in the way and manner it was done. President Buhari never fought me for that or for the other governors’ involvement,” he said.

Dickson, who said though he once criticised the ex-President and even led protests against his government, however, praised Buhari for his non-partisan approach to economic interventions, particularly the financial bailout initiated in 2015 to help states weather a crippling recession.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: FG Renames Nigerian University After Buhari

“Buhari did not discriminate between APC and PDP states. He did it for all. His government, working with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, devised various ways of generating bailouts that helped all the states in Nigeria. Without that intervention, most states would have gone under,” Dickson stated.

He also credited the former president with giving clear instructions to security agencies and INEC to ensure fairness during the highly contentious 2015 governorship election in Bayelsa.

The Senator extended his condolences to the Buhari family, the Government and people of Katsina State, the Daura Emirate, and President Bola Tinubu.