The Federal High Court in Abuja has been urged to order the immediate shutdown of the Nigerian Bar Association Institute of Continuing Legal Education (NBA-ICLE) over alleged illegal operations.

The request forms part of the reliefs sought in a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the Association of Legislative Drafting and Advocacy Practitioners (ALDRAP) against the Incorporated Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

ALDRAP, whose members are lawyers engaged mainly in legislative drafting and advocacy, filed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2758/2025 on December 19, 2025, through its counsel, Chief Dr. Ebosetale David Aighefoh, SAN.

In the suit, ALDRAP is asking the court to declare that the NBA-ICLE has operated illegally since 2007, having neither been registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) nor licensed by the National Board for Technical and Vocational Education (NBTVE).

The association is also seeking a declaration that the NBA-ICLE’s operation as a vocational and professional training institution without a licence from the NBTVE violates Section 5 of the National Board for Technical and Vocational Education Act.

Additionally, the plaintiffs argued that the name “NBA Institute of Continuing Legal Education” is misleading and unlawful, as the institute is neither registered nor incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020.

ALDRAP further asked the court to declare all certificates issued by the NBA-ICLE legally defective, unenforceable, and issued without statutory authority.

Among the reliefs sought is an order of perpetual injunction restraining the NBA from further operating or presenting the NBA-ICLE as a Continuing Legal Education or certification body, as well as an order directing the immediate shutdown of the institute.

The association is also seeking a refund of ₦1.2 million, representing ₦150,000 annually paid between 2017 and 2024 as Continuing Legal Education provider fees. It further requested an order compelling the NBA to refund all monies allegedly collected from Nigerian lawyers nationwide under the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education programme since 2007.

ALDRAP also asked the court to compel the NBA to render a full account of all funds collected through the NBA-ICLE and to nullify all regulatory directives, accreditations, and certifications issued by the institute.

In its originating summons, ALDRAP raised six key questions for the court to determine, including whether the NBA-ICLE qualifies as a legally recognised juristic entity without CAC registration and whether its operations contravene the NBTVE Act.

In an affidavit supporting the suit, ALDRAP’s Administrative Secretary, Jesse Williams Amuga, stated that despite operating for over 17 years, the NBA-ICLE has never been registered with the CAC nor obtained approval or accreditation from the NBTVE.

He argued that the institute’s name creates a false impression of statutory legitimacy, thereby misleading Nigerian lawyers and violating the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

Amuga further told the court that ALDRAP paid the annual fees to the NBA-ICLE under the belief that it was a legally constituted body, adding that Nigerian lawyers have been subjected to sanctions and denial of practice privileges for alleged non-compliance with NBA-ICLE directives.

He described the actions of the NBA through the NBA-ICLE as illegal, abusive, and amounting to unjust enrichment, urging the court to intervene in the interest of justice, legality, and the rule of law.