By Innocent Anaba

LAGOS – A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, was, yesterday, told to reverse the recent award of the rank of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, on some lawyers, by immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria,  Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, to protect its sanctity of the court.

Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, at the resumed hearing of separate suits by Pa Tunji Gomez and  some lawyers under the aegis of  Movement for the Abolition of the Rank of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria, said the reversal of the conferment of the rank had  become imperative in order to protect the authority  of the court, before which the case was pending.

Plaintiffs in the matters, had prayed the court to stop the swearing-in of 30 newly appointed SANs, pending the determination of their suits, challenging the  constitutionality of the rank, which they argued was discriminatory and oppressive to them as lawyers, who are denied certain privileges that the SANs receive.

The plaintiffs had urged  the court to stop the then CJN, President of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Joseph Daudu, SAN and the Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, from taking steps pursuant to swearing-in of the 30 new SANs,  pending the hearing and determination of the pending suits.

Other respondents in the suits are Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee, LPPC; Secretary General of the NBA, Mr. Olumuyiwa Akinboro and the Registered Trustees of the NBA.

Defendants, through their counsel, in their preliminary objection, asked the court to dismiss the suit on the ground that it was an abuse of court process.