Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State has been admitted into the highest body of eminence in the legal profession in Nigeria, the Body of Benchers, as a Life Bencher.
In a letter addressed to the Governor, Secretary of the Body of Benchers, Mrs HA Tukur, wrote that the appointment was ratified by the Body as its meeting held on Thursday, June 25, 2015.
Membership of the Body is highly sought after by legal professionals serving in the bar and the Bench.
The body is made up of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), President of the Court of Appeal, Presiding Justices of Court of Appeal Divisions and the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court.
Others are the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Chief Judges of the States, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education and the President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA).
The rest include thirty legal practitioners nominated by the NBA and such number of persons, not exceeding ten, who appear to the body to be eminent members of the legal profession in Nigeria of not less than 15 years post call standing.
Section 3 of the Legal Practitioners Act provides that there shall be a body of legal practitioners of the highest distinction in the legal profession in Nigeria to be known as “the Body of Benchers” which shall be responsible for the formal call to the Bar of persons seeking to become legal practitioners.
By section 3″5, the Benchers may make regulations providing for the tenure of office of Benchers including the conferment of life membership on any Bencher.
Section 12 of the Practitioners Act also provides that the Body of Benchers shall also hear appeals from the legal practioners disciplinary committee.
A life bencher serves in the body for life and this means that he is a legal practitioner of the highest distinction.
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