The Supreme Court has described as fake and official, a list being circulated online as names of lawyers penned for the award of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) rank for 2021.
In a statement issued by the Director of Press and Information at the Supreme Court Festus Akande on Wednesday, the apex court distanced itself from the list.
The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), a body chaired by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), gives the highly coveted award to deserving lawyers annually and is domiciled at the Supreme Court.
The apex court’s spokesman noted that the 2021 list of SANs-designate in circulation online did not emanate from the LPPC.
“We wish to state clearly that the above information is fake, unofficial and untrue. It’s a mere figment of the imagination of the authors who may ostensibly be on a mission to impugn and malign the reputation and integrity of the LPPC with a view to causing confusion and skepticism in the public space,” the statement partly read.
“The information should be discountenanced by whosoever might have come across it. For the umpteenth time, we wish to let the public know that any information, especially issues regarding the above topic can only emanate from the office of the LPPC Secretary/Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Anything outside this official source should be disregarded.”
Akande noted that the LPPC traditionally announces names of successful applicants for the award of SAN rank in reputable national dailies, adding that this year’s edition would not be an exception.
He also warned that purveyors of fake news would be arrested and given appropriate sanctions to serve as a deterrent to others.