Bawa Hails Elevation of EFCC Prosecutors for SAN Rank

By Chimezie Godfrey

Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, has commended the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, LPPc, for elevating two staff and prosecutors in the EFCC: Sylvanus Tahir and Rotimi Oyedepo to the coveted rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.

He gave the commendation on Friday, September 30, 2022 while commenting on the decision of the LPPC that approved the elevation of 62 lawyers, including two EFCC’s prosecutors, to the rank of SAN. He said that the LPPC acted rightly for recognising the sterling qualities of the two prosecutors, stressing that their elevation was well-deserved.

He particularly expressed delight with the standard of law library in the EFCC, which he described as well-equipped, competitive and second to none.

“We are committed to the development of legal practice in Nigeria through our painstaking equipping of our law library and adequate training of our lawyers. The LPPC has taken very informed decisions by the elevation of the two prosecutors. I’m positive that many more will still be elevated”, he said.

Tahir and Oyedepo, were, on Thursday, September 29, 2022 approved to be elevated to the rank of SAN.

Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court, Hajo Bello, in a statement on Thursday, said their elevation was based on a decision reached at the LPPC’s 154th plenary session.

According to him, “the rank of a senior advocate of Nigeria(SAN) is awarded as a mark of excellence to members of the legal profession who have distinguished themselves as advocates and academics”.

The two EFCC prosecutors, alongside 60 others, will be sworn in on Monday, November 21, 2022.

Tahir heads the legal and prosecution unit at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters. He is renowned for securing convictions of politically-exposed persons for the EFCC. Resourceful, unassuming and versed in the pyrotechnics of law, he is a well-regarded prosecutor difficult to beat in any trial.

Oyedepo also heads the Chairman’s Monitoring Unit in the Lagos Command of the EFCC. A crack prosecutor with shining credentials, his brilliant appearance at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, upheld the constitutionality of Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offence Act, which now empowers the Commission to confiscate properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

Also on the list of the 62 new SANs is a private prosecutor with the EFCC, Mr. Wahab Shittu.