68 New SAN in Nigeria: Full List of Lawyers Elevated to Senior Advocate Rank

Sixty-eight lawyers just got the biggest promotion the Nigerian Bar has to offer.

The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) approved the elevation of 68 legal practitioners to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) at its 174th plenary session, held in Abuja on Thursday, July 23, 2026. The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun, chaired the session.

Of the 68 names on the list, 67 are advocates, and one is an academic: Professor Nnamdi Onyeka Obiaraeri, who made the cut as the sole scholar recognized in this year’s exercise. Four women feature on the list, Soibi Ideriah Ovia, Igonikon Abiola Adekunle, Olujoke Enitan Alius, and Olamide Mojigbotoluwa Adekunle.

The announcement came from Kabir Akanbi, Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and Secretary of the LPPC, in a statement issued the same Thursday.

Why the SAN Rank Still Matters

For lawyers who’ve spent decades in court or in the classroom, the SAN title is the closest thing Nigeria’s legal profession has to a knighthood. It’s conferred on practitioners who’ve shown, in the LPPC’s own words, “exceptional distinction either as advocates in the courts or as academics contributing significantly to the development of legal scholarship.”

The committee doesn’t hand it out casually. Conferment is capped at fewer than 30 advocates a year under normal rules, though the number has crept upward in recent cycles, 57 lawyers made the list in 2023, another 57 in 2025, and now 68 in 2026, one of the largest single batches in the award’s history since it began in 1975.

Getting the letter doesn’t mean you can start signing off as SAN just yet, though. Every shortlisted candidate has to attend and complete the Pre-Swearing-In Induction Programme, a mandatory step set by the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN) before anyone is formally called to the rank. The LPPC has fixed Monday, October 12, 2026, as the date for the swearing-in ceremony.

There’s also a quieter rule worth knowing about: shortlisted lawyers are barred from publishing or encouraging congratulatory adverts, goodwill messages, or notices about their nomination before the formal conferment. The LPPC pointed to Paragraph 25(1) of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Guidelines and Rule 39(3) of the Rules of Professional Conduct, 2023, and warned that breaching it could attract sanctions.

Familiar Faces on the List

A few names on the roll will ring a bell for anyone who follows the Nigerian Bar Association closely. Akorede Habeeb Lawal, a former NBA spokesperson, made the list, as did Alexander Nduka Muoka, a former chairman of the NBA’s Lagos branch. Olawale Sunday Fapohunda, long known for his work in access-to-justice circles, also features.

Full List: 68 New SANs for 2026

The LPPC released the names in order of seniority at the Bar. Here’s the complete roll of advocate appointees:

1. Ibrahim Gamdeh Adamu, Esq.
2. Jude Chukwuemeka Okafor, Esq.
3. Godwill Achibong Umoh, Esq.
4. Sunday Samuel Obende, Esq.
5. Adebayo Olugbenga Adaralegbe, Esq.
6. Jimson Ejovi Okodaso, Esq.
7. Olalekan Lawrence Bade-John, Esq.
8. Olaotan Thomas Olusegun, Esq.
9. Philemeon Audu Daffi, Esq.
10. Adenrele David Adegborioye, Esq.
11. James Eromosele Agbonhese, Esq.
12. Alexander Nduka Muoka, Esq.
13. Onome Okodiya, Esq.
14. Emmanuel Akunke Akomaye, Esq.
15. Ikhide Ehighelua, Esq.
16. Mas’ud Mobolaji Alabelewe, Esq.
17. Ogunmuyiwa Olayinka Balogun, Esq.
18. Anthony Auditz Iroagalachi, Esq.
19. Mohammed Tajudeen Mohammed, Esq.
20. Odion Peter Odia, Esq.
21. Gbemiga Adaramola, Esq.
22. Moses Okoh Onyilokwu, Esq.
23. Charles Azubuike Obodozie, Esq.
24. Hakeem Obafemi Agaba, Esq.
25. Bimbo Felix Atilola, Esq.
26. Okechukwu Steve Emelieze, Esq.
27. Joshua Demilade Olaniyan, Esq.
28. Igonikon Abiola Adekunle, Esq.
29. Christian Nnadozie Nwokorie, Esq.
30. Sadiku Momoh Ilegieuno, Esq.
31. Sarafa Kolawole Idowu, Esq.
32. Olujoke Enitan Alius, Esq.
33. Oliver Onyenucheya Amuzie, Esq.
34. Adebisi Emmanuel Adeniyi, Esq.
35. Faruk Abdullah, Esq.
36. Sagir Gezawa Suleiman, Esq.
37. Ifeanyi Godwin Ezeuko, Esq.
38. Adebayo Folorunsho Ologe, Esq.
39. Sabiu Gumba Adamu, Esq.
40. Eric Keme-Egolukumor Omare, Esq.
41. Soibi Ideriah Ovia, Esq.
42. Somina Peter Johnbull, Esq.
43. Chinedum Ikenna Umeche, Esq.
44. Emmanuel Eghiegba Ekhasemomhe, Esq.
45. Mohammed El-Hassan Sheriff, Esq.
46. Junaidu Bello Marshall, Esq.
47. Olawale Sunday Fapohunda, Esq.
48. Adebiyi Alaba Adetosoye, Esq.
49. Senior Sulyman Ibrahim, Esq.
50. Agba Eimunjeze, Esq.
51. Ayobamidele Oyekunle Akande, Esq.
52. Adetunji Taiwo Adedoyin-Adeniyi, Esq.
53. Olamide Mojigbotoluwa Adekunle, Esq.
54. Umaru Yunusa, Esq.
55. Akorede Habeeb Lawal, Esq.
56. Darlington Nnabuike Ozurumba, Esq.
57. Nnaemeka Francis Patrick Egonu, Esq.
58. Kayode Orire Omosehin, Esq.
59. Mitchel Akinrinsola Aribisala, Esq.
60. Bolu Agbaje Akadri, Esq.
61. Oluwaseun Asimiyu Alao, Esq.
62. Olugbenga Olusanya Ajala, Esq.
63. Mustapha Olayinka Ajenifuja, Esq.
64. Afees Hassan Adebayo, Esq.
65. Mohammed Abiodun Adelodun, Esq.
66. Jonathan Akintola Makinde, Esq.
67. Olajide Salami, Esq.

Academic Appointee

68. Prof. Nnamdi Onyeka Obiaraeri

None of these 68 can call themselves SAN just yet. The induction programme date hasn’t been announced, but the swearing-in itself is locked in for October 12, 2026, at which point the new Senior Advocates will be formally called to the rank and can begin appending “SAN” to their names in official capacity.

Until then, expect the legal community, and quite a few law firms scrambling to update their letterheads, to keep a close eye on the induction schedule.