72 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANS) has been sworn in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad in Abuja on Thursday.
The news SANS according to the CJN, the legal practitioners had been screened, examined and found worthy of the revered rank by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC).
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) is a title that is conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria of not less than ten years’ standing and who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession.
It therefore means that those criteria’s has so far been met by the new SANS hence their inauguration.
The inauguration marked the special session of the Supreme Court and begining of the 2021/2022 Legal Year.
The CJN noted that the new SANS have by all standards, excelled and displayed brillance in the practice of law while describing the inauguration as age-long tradition
“The Supreme Court, and by extension, the Nigerian judiciary, has fared well in the outgone legal year, though the horizon was literally roughened by overwhelming challenges”, the CJN said while addressing the SANS.
He added that “As this new legal year unfolds, we will like to assure you that we are determined to work assiduously to evolve a judiciary that will remarkably be the pride of Nigerians, home and abroad.”
On the invasion of Justice Mary Odili’s residence by men suspected to be security operatives, the nation’s chief judicial officer said the Bench was jolted by the invasion of her official residence, saying they have had enough dosage of such shenanigans.
He went on: “The silence of the judiciary should never be mistaken for stupidity or weakness. By the nature of our work, we are conservative, but not conquered species. We should not be pushed further than this by any individual, institution or agency of the government.”
Muhammad used the opportunity to lament the setback caused by the protracted strike of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), noting that it came with excruciating impact on smooth dispensation of justice.
BESIDES, the Court of Appeal said it had disposed of 5,669 cases and 10,798 motions in the outgone legal year.
Its President, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, said despite a 51 per cent increase in the number of motions filed during the period, the court witnessed a 48 per cent rise in the number of motions effectively handled by the panels as at November 30.