The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) National Litigation Committee has filed an application at the High Court of Jalingo, Taraba State, seeking to be joined as a co-plaintiff in a suit instituted by Barr. Isa Buba against the Registered Trustees of the Property Agents and Landlords Association of Nigeria (PALDAN).
The move follows the enforcement of the Remuneration Order by the NBA Jalingo Branch, under which members unanimously resolved not to charge professional fees below 10%. In response, landlords and agents formed PALDAN and allegedly began preparing tenancy agreements, deeds of assignment, and other legal documents, activities exclusively reserved for licensed legal practitioners.
Acting on a petition from the NBA Jalingo Branch, the National Litigation Committee has formally applied for joinder, thereby strengthening the pending suit and reinforcing the Association’s position against the unauthorized practice of law.
Speaking to journalists, the Secretary of the NBA National Litigation Committee, Isah Abubakar Aliyu, who also deposed to the affidavit in support of the application, stressed the NBA’s firm resolve:
“The Nigerian Bar Association will do everything within the ambit of the law to stop the incursion of non-lawyers into the practice of law in Nigeria. We will take extreme steps to ensure the sanctity of the profession is protected and that only those duly licensed by law engage in legal practice.”
The Committee reaffirmed the NBA’s commitment to defending the integrity of the legal profession and pledged to pursue all available remedies, including damages, against those unlawfully engaging in legal practice.
