The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee, LPPC, yesterday, said it had awarded the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, to 17 legal practitioners in the country.

Briefing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court who doubles as the Secretary of the LPPC, Mr. Sunday Olorundahunsi, said the rank was conferred on the 17 lawyers “as a mark of excellence”.

Olorundahunsi stressed that the committee had at the end of a general meeting it held yesterday, decided to drop five of the lawyers that were initially shortlisted for the rank.

He, however, insisted that the selection was carried out with strict adherence to the provisions of the legal practitioners’ guidelines.

Besides, he disclosed that a total of 109 lawyers across the federation had applied to be elevated to the rank, adding that whereas 23 of them were academicians, he said that three of the applicants were women.

However, he regretted that though two of the law lecturers passed the screening process, none of the female applicants succeeded.

Meantime, among those the LPPC declined to award the rank yesterday included Lagos based lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo.

Olorundahunsi further disclosed that the new SANs would be administered oath on September 22, a day the apex court will mark its new legal year.

He gave the names of the new SANs as Dr. Olu Onagoruwa, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, Olusola Olaseni Idowu, Dr. Ernest Maduachi Ojukwu, Ahamefula Ikechukwu Eke Ejelam, Chike George Onyemenam, Tawo Eja Tawo, Olatunde Oluranti Adejuyigbe, Sylvanus Aghumele Ogwemoh.

Others are Dr. Adewale Adedamola Olawoyin, Dr. Joshua Olukayode Olatoke, Teslim Olatunde Busari, Kelvin Chukwudi Nwufo, Dr. Amuda-Kannike Abiodun, Oluwakemi Mufutau Balogun, Hakeem Olatunde Afolabi and Gerald Godwin E. Ezeuko.