Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has sworn in 68 legal practitioners as Senior Advocates of Nigeria at the 2026/2027 Legal Year ceremony.
The Nigerian Television Authority announced the development in a news flash on its official X handle on Monday, sharing images and a video from the ceremony.
The swearing-in follows the approval of the 68 nominees by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee about three months ago.
The committee approved their elevation during its 174th plenary session, chaired by Kekere-Ekun.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Secretary of the LPPC, Kabir Eniola, the new SANs comprise 67 advocates and one academic, Professor Nnamdi Onyeka Obiaraeri, Tribune also reports
Obiaraeri was recognised for his “contributions to legal scholarship, making him the only academic among the 68 recipients.”
The rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria is one of the highest professional distinctions in the country’s legal sector.
It is conferred on legal practitioners who meet the required standards of professional achievement in advocacy or legal scholarship.
Before the conferment, the LPPC “stipulated that successful applicants must participate in and complete a mandatory induction programme, with the date to be announced later.”
The committee also reminded the newly elevated SANs to comply with paragraph 25(1) of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Guidelines and Rule 39(3) of the Rules of Professional Conduct, 2023.
It warned against “publishing or encouraging advertisements, congratulatory messages or goodwill notices concerning their nomination or conferment, adding that violations could attract sanctions.”
Meanwhile, Kekere-Ekun disclosed that the Supreme Court handled 2,456 matters and delivered 411 judgments in the 2025/2026 legal year.
According to her, the matters comprised 1,179 general civil motions, 573 criminal motions, 13 Sharia-related motions and 676 appeals.
She explained that the appeals included 433 general civil appeals, 212 criminal appeals, 19 political appeals, 12 Sharia appeals and 10 originating summons.
“From these matters, 411 judgments were delivered. During the preceding Legal Year, the Court handled 2,280 matters and delivered 369 judgments and rulings,” Kekere-Ekun stated.
She noted that while the figures provided a measure of the court’s institutional activity, they did not tell the full story of its operations.
The CJN said the apex court’s performance during the year was encouraging but acknowledged that more work remained to be done.
She said the court had continued to prioritise effective docket management through measures aimed at addressing delays and the accumulation of pending cases.
Kekere-Ekun said the court’s E-Diary Office scheduled 1,385 matters for regular sittings between March 23 and December 17, 2026, comprising 1,021 motions and 364 appeals.
She added that 733 of the matters were old cases deliberately brought forward for hearing.
“In addition, 178 moribund matters were disposed of in Chambers, while 125 matters that had already been concluded were identified and removed from the active pool,” she said.
The CJN said the measures reflected a deliberate approach to managing the court’s docket by identifying pending matters, prioritising older cases and removing concluded matters from the active list.
“These measures reflect a more deliberate approach to managing our docket. The work of the E-Diary Office is therefore an important part of our continuing effort to make the Court more efficient, responsive and better able to meet the expectations of litigants,” she said.
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