The Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners have instituted a legal action against the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja Judicial Division, challenging the legality of the NBA Institute of Continuing Legal Education (NBA-ICLE).
The suit, filed by way of an Originating Summons, is brought pursuant to Order 3 Rules 6–9 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019, and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court. The action seeks judicial clarification on the legal status, regulatory compliance, and financial dealings of the NBA-ICLE, which has operated Nigeria’s Mandatory Continuing Legal Education programme for lawyers.
In the summons, the plaintiff is asking the court to determine whether the NBA-ICLE, which has reportedly operated since 2007 without registration or incorporation with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), is a legally recognised juristic entity capable of operating in Nigeria under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 and earlier enactments.
The association is also questioning whether the NBA-ICLE contravened Section 5 of the National Board for Technical and Vocational Education (NBTVE) Act, 1977 (as amended in 1993), by functioning as a training and certification body and issuing vocational and professional certificates to Nigerian lawyers and law-based organisations without obtaining the requisite licence from the NBTVE.
Among other issues placed before the court is whether the continued use of the name “NBA Institute of Continuing Legal Education” is misleading, deceptive, unlawful, and contrary to CAMA 2020, given that the institute is allegedly not incorporated or registered with the CAC. The plaintiff further seeks a determination on the legal validity and enforceability of certificates issued by the NBA-ICLE in light of its alleged non-registration and non-licensing status.
In addition to the declaratory relief, the plaintiff is requesting that the court order refunds of monies allegedly paid under what it describes as an illegal and void regulatory arrangement. Specifically, the association claims it paid ₦150,000 annually for eight years, from 2017 to 2024, as a purported Continuing Legal Education (CLE) provider to the NBA-ICLE, amounting to ₦1.2 million, and argues that it is entitled to a full refund.
The suit also seeks a broader relief compelling the NBA, through the NBA-ICLE, to refund all monies collected from Nigerian lawyers nationwide since 2007 under the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education programme. The plaintiff contends that such funds were collected without statutory authority and in violation of extant laws.
As of the time of filing this report, the Federal High Court has not fixed a date for the hearing of the matter, and the Nigerian Bar Association has yet to publicly respond to the suit.
Full details of the legal action ALDRAP VS NBA-ICLE scanned copy
