A fierce battle erupted in Abuja on Monday as a prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria called for the immediate scrapping of the Nigerian Law School, sparking a heated confrontation with the institution’s leadership during the 2026 Legal Education Summit. The proposal, which seeks to transfer the full responsibility of legal training to universities, has divided the legal profession and ignited a critical debate on the future of the country’s justice system.
The clash began when Chief Rotimi Williams-Kayode, SAN, argued that the Law School had become an unnecessary bottleneck, delaying law graduates’ entry into practice without adding significant value. He called for a system where law faculties would assume full control of practical training, followed by a bar examination administered by the Body of Benchers. His remarks drew thunderous applause from a faction of young lawyers and academics present.
However, the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof. Martins Okafor, SAN, immediately rebutted, warning that scrapping the institution would lead to a dangerous decline in legal standards. He cited the school’s role in ensuring uniform quality control, ethical conditioning, and national cohesion among lawyers. Without a centralised law school, he declared, there would be chaotic disparities in competence across different universities.
The tension escalated when a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mrs. Ngozi Eze, SAN, attempted to mediate, only to be heckled by both sides. She eventually threw her weight behind a compromise: retain the law school but reduce its programme to six months, with universities handling the first year of practical training.
As the summit adjourned, the lawyers’ body announced plans to form a committee to review the law school’s future. Legal observers say the outcome could reshape legal education in Nigeria for decades. Meanwhile, law students across the country have launched an online petition, demanding a say in any reform that affects their career pathways.
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