The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has commenced a two-day Residential Training Programme for members of its Prosecution Team serving at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), reinforcing its institutional commitment to ethical accountability and professional discipline within the legal profession.
The training, themed “Understanding the LPDC Framework and Prosecutorial Mandate,” is holding on February 17–18, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. daily at the President’s Conference Room, 8th Floor, NBA House, Abuja. It brings together 18 prosecutors drawn from various jurisdictions across the country.
Emphasis on Ethical Responsibility
Delivering the welcome address, Chairman of the NBA Prosecution Team, C.A. Ajuyah, SAN, underscored the centrality of the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) as the ethical compass guiding legal practitioners. He cautioned prosecutors to approach disciplinary proceedings with objectivity, stressing that they must not act as persecutors. According to him, the primary aim of disciplinary proceedings is the preservation of professional standards—not retribution.
He further warned against carelessness in documentation and communication, noting that once a petition is set down for hearing before the LPDC, reputational consequences may arise irrespective of the eventual outcome.
NBA President Reaffirms Commitment
In his keynote address, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, reaffirmed that discipline remains fundamental to sustaining public confidence in the legal profession. He emphasized the Association’s responsibility under Section 11 of the Legal Practitioners Act to ensure that complaints against legal practitioners are properly investigated and fairly determined.
He maintained that internal accountability strengthens the moral authority of the profession in demanding transparency and responsibility from other institutions.
Technical Sessions and Best Practices
The programme featured in-depth sessions on:
- The LPDC framework and the sui generis nature of disciplinary proceedings.
- Establishing the evidential threshold required to prove a prima facie case.
- Drafting complaints through originating applications supported by affidavits and documentary evidence.
- Differentiating documentary proceedings from hearings requiring oral evidence.
- Pre-hearing protocols, case management strategies, and maintaining prosecutorial objectivity.
Participants were reminded that disciplinary proceedings are not mechanisms for debt recovery and must be anchored on clear and cogent evidence rather than speculation.
Key Issues and Resolutions
Interactive sessions addressed recurring challenges, including frivolous petitions, failure of lawyers to respond to complaints, suppression of petitions at branch levels, proper designation of client accounts, and the expanding scope of professional misconduct.
The prosecution team resolved to strengthen internal coordination, improve welfare arrangements, and enhance access to case files, particularly for members based in Abuja. The adoption of electronic case management systems was also encouraged to improve efficiency and transparency.
Day One of the training concluded at 3:30 p.m., with participants expressing renewed commitment to upholding discipline, integrity, and professionalism within the Nigerian legal profession.
The programme marks another strategic step by the NBA to fortify ethical standards and reinforce confidence in the justice system.
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