Fraud Detected in Call to Bar Final Exams
From Tobi Soniyi in Abuja, 11.24.2010
Following a report of leakages in the Nigerian Law School's Bar final examinations conducted in August 2010, the Body of Benchers has suspended the screening of successful candidates in the examinations.
The screening, which is a pre-requisite for call to bar of successful candidates of the Nigerian Law School, was scheduled for next week.

At a meeting presided over by Justice Dahiru Musdapher of the Supreme Court who is also the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, it was resolved that the allegations of leakage should be investigated to determine whether to cancel the examinations and order a retake or allow the results of the examinations to stand.
The body will again meet on Monday, November 29th, 2010.

Some students had written an anonymous letter to the Body of Benchers, the body statutorily empowered to call successful candidates from the Nigerian Law School to bar, stating that, "all the question papers for the examination were leaked to students who could afford to pay the price fixed by some staff of the law school who were involved in the examination processes."
The students said the price paid for each paper ranged between N500,000 to N1 million.
According to them, the leakage was effected through the internet and also by distributing hard copies of the question papers to the students that were wealthy enough to pay the prices.

The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the Nigerian Law School has already confirmed the leakage.
In a report of its investigation submitted to the Body of Benchers, a copy of which was obtained by THISDAY, the ACU alleged that the papers leaked through one Mr. Bello Bala, the Personal Assistant to the Director-General of the law school, Dr. Tahir Mamman.

A member of the Body of Benchers, who confided in THISDAY, said the body was worried that the integrity of the Nigerian Law School would take a dive once the leakages become public knowledge.
The report also alleged a cover-up on the part of the DG who after he was confronted with the evidence of the leakage wrote to the Body of Benchers denying any such leakages.

Similar leakages took place in the Kano Campus of the Nigerian Law School during the 2002 Bar Final Examinations where the school’s present DG was a director. The examinations were subsequently cancelled and a retake was ordered by the Body of Benchers.
Already, pressure is mounting on the body to cancel the leaked paper, titled “Cooperate Law and Practice”.
Despite the alleged overwhelming evidence confirming the leakage, the DG of the law school, Mamman, has written a letter to the Body of Benchers denying the leakage.

The letter dated, 19th November, 2010, which was a response to a query sent to him by the Chairman of the Body of Benchers, was also obtained by THISDAY.
Mamman said: “I acknowledge yours on the above matter and wish to state that to the best of my knowledge and information, the allegation was untrue.

"Like in any examinations, students generate rumours of malpractice which the administration routinely checks. Such rumours, like this are not accompanied by concrete facts or identification of its author for proper checks and investigation.
“I therefore advise that this allegation is discountenanced because the labour and handwork of majority of students should not be negatively affected by the unfounded claims of a few who probably failed their examinations or have other reasons to complain."
Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Richard Akinjide (SAN), expressed concern at the leakages and asked the Body of Benchers to commence an investigation into the allegations.

A copy of his letter to the Body of Benchers which was obtained by the newspaper read: “I write as former chairman of the body of benchers as well as the current Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Attorney-General of the Federation and President of the Nigerian Bar Association of the Nigerian Bar 1970-73.”

Another senior lawyer, S.M. Olakunrin (SAN), has also written to the Body of Benchers asking it not to treat the leakages with levity.
Olakunrin’s letter, which was obtained by the newspaper, read: “I, as a life bencher and former chairman, would urgently recommend that you send an urgent request to the Chairman of the Council of Legal Education and the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School to forward to you details of the examination malpractice and to forward the names of the three hundred candidates (300) alleged candidates involved for onward transmission to the Chairman of the Screening Committee of the body, so that the screening committee will not screen any such names that may be brought up at the screening that is coming up next week.”

Another senior lawyer, Mrs. Hairat Ade-Balogun (OON), has written to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), Justice Emmanuel Ayoola (rtd).
Excerpts from the letter read: “Information has reached me that there was a leakage in the examination questions for the bar finals at the Nigerian Law School in the recently concluded examinations.
“I was also informed that about 300 students were found to have been involved. The only action taken by the Authorities of the school was to enquire and discover that a staff member of the Nigerian Law School at Bwari was involved and the staff was instantly dismissed.”

A member of the Body of Benchers, however, confided in the newspaper that the body found the defence of the DG unconvincing in the face of overwhelming evidence all of which were within the knowledge of the DG.

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