The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has denied allegations that $2,000 was distributed to certain Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) as an appearance allowance during a recent official gathering, describing the claim as unfounded and damaging to its leadership’s credibility.
In a statement, the NBA National Secretariat said the accusation lacked evidence and wrongly implied impropriety within the association, stressing that no such financial arrangement was approved or executed by its officials.
“The Association neither received nor authorised the distribution of any such sum,” the secretariat stated, emphasizing that there is no record of any transaction supporting the allegation.
The controversy arose following the association’s engagement and NEC meeting in Maiduguri, where speculation suggested that the Borno State Government had provided $2,000 to SANs as an attendance fee.
Rejecting the narrative, the secretariat said there was no documentary trail to substantiate the claim, adding: “There is no payment voucher, no government schedule of disbursement, no official list of beneficiaries issued by any state authority, and no identifiable budgetary head under which such a payment could have been processed.”
NBA President Afam Osigwe also dismissed suggestions of financial misconduct, stating that no association funds were diverted, misapplied, or shared during the Maiduguri event, and that an internal review revealed no trace of the alleged payment.
He further clarified that, although the state governor attended a cocktail reception linked to the NEC session, the governor did not address attendees or announce any monetary support.
The association added that claims involving public expenditure could be verified through lawful mechanisms, including requests under the Freedom of Information Act, but noted that no evidence has been produced to support the $2,000 allegation.
