Lawyers Begin Petition To Strip Nigeria’s Attorney-General, Malami, Of SAN Title
Some lawyers have signed a petition demanding that the
Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, be stripped
of the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria over his recent unilateral
amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal
Practitioners 2007.
The petition registered by a lawyer, Izu Aniagu, on change.org, is
titled, “Sign to strip Nigeria’s AGF, Abubakar Malami, the title of
Senior Advocate of Nigeria” had received over 380 signatures.
Aniagu claimed among others that Malami unilaterally deleted the
provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct, which provide for
stamp and seal as well as bar practice fee for government lawyers.
He said the unilateral amendment was a threat to the rule of law,
coupled with Malami’s other alleged wrongdoings, such as disobedience
to court orders, to his lackluster prosecution, to his outright
failure to prosecute, to allegations of corruption and bias against
his person, to the usurpation of office, to shielding of suspects, to
his general dereliction of duty.
Malami was conferred with the SAN rank in 2008, 16 years after being
called to the Bar.
The petition added, “This time, the AGF has decided to take his
imprudence to top-notch by unilaterally deleting the provisions of the
Rules of Professional Conduct which provide for stamp and seal as well
as bar practicing fee for government lawyers.
“The AGF does not have such power. Section 12 (4) of the LPA gives the
General Council of the Bar power to make any such amendment and make
other decisions concerning the NBA.
“There is no record of any meeting convened by the Attorney-General of
the Federation, who is the President of the Bar Council. The AGF took
the decision alone and his actions constitute a threat to the rule of
law. His action is totally shameful and is undeserving of a lawyer in
the rank of a Senior Advocate, let alone a chief law officer of the
federation.”
Malami courted controversy last week when he purportedly amended the
RPC for Legal Practitioners 2007, removing the requirement for the
Nigerian Bar Association stamp and seal on court processes.