Northern lawyers form new association, accuse NBA of peddling sectional interests

Withdrawal of El-Rufa’i invitation splits Nigerian Bar Association

Some lawyers have formed a New ‘Nigerian Bar Association’ with the aim of protecting their interests as encapsulated under Section 40 of the Constitution.

In a statement signed by Barr Nuhu Ibrahim, Esq and Abdulbasit Suleiman, Esq, and made available to journalists, he said the recent rumblings from the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) was leaving much to be desired within the ranks of Concerned Lawyers especially from Northern part of the Country.

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“What has been happening recently has exposed the inability of the NBA to manage and contain the heterogeneity of it’s members as well as their various interests.

“It’s penal powers have been deployed discriminatively on the basis of ethnicity and regionalism. As a body of lawyers who have undergone training towards ensuring the promotion and protection of human rights and liberties, the NBA is supposed to live above sentiments, regionalism and discrimination on any basis and of any kind. Therefore, the NBA cannot afford to be seen not to be upholding the rights and freedom of its own members if at all, it should be seen to be practicing what it preaches.

“As the Hausa saying goes: ‘Idan Kura tana maganin zaho, ta yi ma kanta’ (If Hyena has cure for diarrhoea let her use it for herself). The New Nigerian Bar Association have been watching the activities of the NBA, an association we all looked forward to joining with high hopes before being called to the Nigerian Bar, forcing idiosyncrasies of few on the majority of its members especially in recent times.”

He noted that members of the new NBA have commenced consultations with senior lawyers of Northern Nigeria extraction and those practising therein with the view to constituting the Trustees and for purposes of fixing a date for formal inauguration of the association.