The Supreme Court management on Monday said that family members and other well wishers of 72 lawyers to be sworn in as Senior Advocates of Nigeria on December 14, would not be admitted into the venue of the inauguration ceremony.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Director, Press and Information, Supreme Court, Dr Akande Festus, who stated that the directive was to ensure strict compliance with COVID-19 regulations.

According to Akande, the inauguration of the new SANs to be presided over by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, would be part of the events marking the official commencement of the new 2020/2021 legal year of the apex court.

He added that the CJN would also, at the event, give his report of the state of the judiciary and present the score card of the Supreme Court in the outgone legal year.

According to him, the number of dignitaries and other stakeholders who would be admitted into the venue would also be limited.

He, however, stated that the court’s foyer would be available for those who would be barred from entering the venue.

He added that interested members of the public would be able to monitor the events live on various media platforms

The statement partly read,“In strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol, spouses and friends of the 72 newly appointed Senior Advocates will not be allowed into the courtroom as was done in the past.

“For those that will be in their respective homes and offices, they can as well watch the various programmes live on YouTube, Twitters, Instagram, Facebook, Zoom and other social media platforms, as we are ever poised to make everyone have a feel of every single event.”