Indications have emerged that the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) is probing into the activities of some of its members allegedly involved in a campaign of calumny and blackmail against the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

This follows the petition filed by the Empowerment for Unemployed Youths (EUYI) against a group of persons claiming to be lawyers, under the aegis of Guardians of Democracy and the Rule of Law.

EUYI, in a petition to the NBA President dated 5th May 2025, signed by Comrades Solomon Adodo, Danesi Momoh, and Igwe Ude-umanta, urged the NBA to probe into the status of Barr. Aminu Bello, Rotimi Adeyemo, Benjamin Theophilus, Emmanuel Agada, and Asika Raymond, who variously claimed to be leaders of the group with a numerical strength of 500.

Adodo, who confirmed the development at a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday, described the “so-called lawyers” as an amorphous group that has carefully created ambiguity in claiming to be the Guardians of Democracy and the Rule of Law, which is a group of lawyers and a coalition of civil society groups, thereby giving the impression that all those involved in their activities are lawyers, while building an alibi that some are just members of civil society.

“We suspect that some of them may not even be lawyers. And if they are, we contend that their activities are unethical. It should come under your scrutiny,” EUYI noted in the petition to the NBA.

EUYI particularly expressed concern that such a group of lawyers went out of their way to call for the trial of Kyari, who is yet to be investigated.

EUYI noted that strangely, after some civil society groups questioned the tactics employed by this so-called Concerned Citizens Against Corruption and challenged it as being a hatchet job, the Convener, Comrade Kabir Matazu, made a volte-face, by retracting his statement, disowning his petition to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, and subsequently apologizing.

EUYI claimed that the preliminary investigation shows that these persons were hired to use the high calling of the legal profession to blackmail Engr. Kyari and taint him with criminality. These protests have resulted in media trials and a whip-up of negative public sentiment against him.

They have therefore requested an investigation by the NBA into the status and operation of the so-called Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law.

He said, “For instance, is it a registered organisation? Is it operated by lawyers, or are persons using the organisation to masquerade as lawyers? We urge you to act decisively and urgently too.”