Legal professionals in Nigeria who do not specialise in litigation have filed complaints with the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), the Office of the Ombudsman (DSS), and the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria (Mr. Kabir Akanbi) stating that Akanbi is harassing them because of their status as Blue Silks.
Following Akanbi’s earlier petition against the NLS Executive Secretary, Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, and lawyers conferred the Blue Silks rank, the non-litigation lawyers, under the auspices of ALDRAP and the Nigerian Law Society (NLS), have now petitioned the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC).
Legal practitioners in Nigeria are bestowed the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC), which Akanbi serves as Secretary in addition to his role as Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court.
The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, and LPPC are opposed to the Blue Silks rank, which was proposed by ALDRAP and NLS as a substitute for the SAN title for non-litigation lawyers.
The petition to the DSS, signed by the Executive Secretary of the NLS, Jaja, asked the agency to intervene “urgently” “to prevent a potential breakdown of law and order and national security by the actions of Mr. Kabir Eniola Akanbi, Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria who has repeatedly refused to abide by the sub-judice rule,” as stated by the non-litigation lawyers.
The attorneys stated that the Supreme Court had ruled that once a lawsuit has been submitted to a court for adjudication, neither party may use their position for personal gain; instead, they must wait for the court’s final decision. This prohibition applies particularly to public officials who are currently serving in public office.
Reports surfaced that Akanbi had been prosecuting ALDRAP and NLS members under the authority of his position.
“We are writing to humbly ask the Director-General of the Department of State Security Services to step in and demand that Mr. Kabir Eniola Akanbi, Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, cease abusing the authority bestowed upon him by virtue of his position. “Mr. Kabir Eniola Akanbi has, time and time again, violated Rule 33 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, as well as Section 36(9) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, which we have used to initiate legal proceedings against him. “It is prohibited for any lawyer to publish prejudicial statements prior to the delivery of the final judgement in any case involving that lawyer.”
“Mr. Kabir Eniola Akanbi, in his role as Secretary of the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee—LPPC—damaged Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja and the incorporated trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) in a series of publications published in multiple national newspapers on 13th February and in July 2026, in violation of the sacred principle of subordination.
This publication is a clear violation of Section 36(1), (9) and 36(12) of the Nigerian Constitution. It is used to seek the prosecution of Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, SCN and thirteen other lawyers at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) before the final judgement is handed down by the Court of Appeal Abuja Division and the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, respectively.
Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja SCN and other lawyers who are members of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) and ALDRAP are suing over whether or not they have the right to associate with one another and earn the title of Senior Counsel of Nigeria-SCN, which is considered a Blue Silk position. According to the petition, this is like the Fellowship of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) or the aforementioned ALDRAP, but for lawyers who don’t specialise in litigation.
“At the time of their publication, no court of law within Nigeria has delivered any judgement to proclaim that the Blue Silks rank was illegal,” it continued, contradicting the purported “prejudicial” publications by both NBA authorities and Akanbi.
In the petition, the non-litigation lawyers pointed out that a ruling by Justice Mohammed Garba Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on 27th January 2026, indirectly supported the Blue Silks rank of Senior Counsel of Nigeria, SCN. The ruling stated that the NBA and, by extension, the LPPC, could only oversee Nigerian lawyers on issues explicitly mentioned in the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962. The petition further stated that the Legal Practitioners Act, 1962 grants the NBA and LPPC the authority to govern the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
Additionally, they contended that Akanbi’s filing of the petition constituted an egregious breach of the principle of fair hearing, given that he is either directly or indirectly a member of the LPDC due to his position as Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The non-litigation lawyers separately petitioned the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) “to prevent a series of acts of maladministration and administrative injustices by the actions of Mr. Kabir Eniola Akanbi, Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria who has repeatedly refused to abide by the sub-judice rule since February 2026” in order to end the cases that were not involved in litigation.
The petition states, “We write to respectfully request the Public Complaints Commission to intervene to call Mr. Kabir Eniola Akanbi, Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, to stop the abuse of the powers conferred upon him by virtue of his office as the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. “Specifically, Mr. Kabir Eniola Akanbi has repeatedly been in violation of Rule 33 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, and Section 36(9) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 ever since we commenced lawsuits against him.”
According to the petition, out of 213,000 certified Nigerian lawyers, 72% are currently non-litigation lawyers who do not have a full-time practice in courtroom litigation. It went on to say that this group of solicitors has been consistently barred from seeking and receiving the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) since 1975 due to the fact that they do not meet the requirements for conferment.
It was “intended to provide a compensatory scheme for non-litigation Nigerian lawyers” that the Blue Silks level of Senior Counsel of Nigeria was instituted, as they said.
The petition stated that the application and conferral of the Blue Silks rank is a voluntary scheme. It cited a judgement from December 2023 by Hon. Justice Gladys Olotu of the Federal High Court Abuja, which stated that Nigerian lawyers have the freedom to form associations of lawyers and register them under any name, like the Nigerian Law Society (NLS), and that this freedom of association does not infringe upon the rights of the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
There is currently litigation pending before the Court of Appeal over this decision. Instead of making statements that are extra-judicial and prejudicial by suing some of the same people who are suing them in court, the NBA and Mr. Akanbi should wait for the ultimate decision on these cases.