The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has refuted allegations that it distributed $2,000 to some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) as an “attendance fee” during a recent engagement in Maiduguri, insisting that no such payment was authorised or made.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the NBA National Secretariat described the allegation as baseless and lacking in evidence, warning that it unfairly casts aspersions on the integrity of the association’s leadership.
“The Association neither received nor authorised the distribution of any such sum,” the secretariat stated.
The NBA further clarified that there is no documentary proof to support claims that the Borno State Government paid $2,000 to any group on behalf of the association.
“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,” the statement added.
NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) also dismissed the claims, affirming that no NBA funds were diverted, misapplied, or shared in Maiduguri. According to the association, a review of its financial accounts revealed no transaction reflecting the alleged payment.
Addressing speculation surrounding the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Maiduguri, Osigwe noted that while the Borno State Governor attended a cocktail reception during the event, he neither addressed the gathering nor made any financial presentation.
The NBA urged the public to verify claims of public fund disbursement through lawful channels, such as formal inquiries or requests under the Freedom of Information Act, adding that no such evidence has been produced to substantiate the allegations.
