Malami seeks dismissal of NBA suit against him over ethics

Attorney-general of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to dismiss a legal action instituted against him by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to challenge the validity of the Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers in the country.

Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the litigation was incompetent and lacking in merit, arguing that its facts were founded on falsehood and hearsay.

The AGF, in a reply to the NBA’s court action, maintained that he was constitutionally empowered to formulate and amend the Rules of Professional Conduct for legal practitioners in Nigeria.

In his counter-affidavit filed by his lead counsel, Maimuna Lami Shiru, Malami insisted that he did not unilaterally amend the contentious law for lawyers as alleged by the NBA.

His eight-paragraph affidavit against the suit was deposed to by one Oni Michael, a litigation officer in the Civil Litigation and Public Law Department in the AGF Office.

The AGF denied all allegations of wrongdoing brought against him by the NBA in the suit.

Further hearing in the suit is to hold on May 12 before Justice Donatus Okoronkwo.