I have had the rare privilege of watching the learned silk, Baba Femi Falana, SAN, conduct proceedings in open court and I make bold to say that advocacy truly found expression in him.
His mastery of facts, command of authorities, composure before the Bench and uncommon courage in advancing the cause of justice distinguish him as one of the finest legal minds of our time. In the temple of advocacy, Baba Femi Falana, SAN, remains a colossus.
My exposure to history has brought me to the knowledge that during the dark era of successive military regimes in the 1980s and 1990s, when constitutional guarantees of human rights were suspended with alarming ease, the learned silk stood firmly before Nigerian courts and successfully argued for the enforcement of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in protection of the liberties of Nigerians. At a time when fear silenced many, he chose the difficult path of resistance through the instrumentality of the law.
History will forever remember his courageous intervention in 1989 when he secured the reprieve of 12 children sentenced to death by a military tribunal in Lagos on allegations of armed robbery. His legal battles against oppression remained both fearless and consistent throughout the military era.
Baba resisted unlawful interference with the Nigerian Bar Association; challenged the proscription of ASUU and the criminalisation of lecturers’ strikes; opposed the arrest and detention of relatives in place of wanted suspects; and resisted unconstitutional suspensions of legislators from legislative houses.
His contributions equally transcend the borders of Nigeria. Baba Femi Falana, SAN, played a defining role in the expansion of the jurisdiction of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in the enforcement of human rights within member states. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to human rights jurisprudence, he became one of the very few African lawyers honoured with the prestigious Bernard Simons Award of the International Bar Association.
Beyond our domestic courts, he has represented victims of human rights abuses before notable international tribunals including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, The Gambia; the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria; the Special Court for Sierra Leone in Freetown; and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Arusha, Tanzania.
Through years of fearless advocacy, countless illegally detained citizens regained their freedom; dismissed students and lecturers were reinstated; and many soldiers facing convictions and death sentences before military tribunals obtained reprieve through his intervention.
For many of us in this generation as young lawyers, Baba Femi Falana, SAN, represents far more than a senior member of the Inner Bar. He represents courage, preparation, resilience, discipline, and the true spirit of advocacy. We study his style in court, his command of jurisprudence, and his unwavering devotion to justice with profound admiration. His life at the Bar continues to remind us that the legal profession is not merely a means of livelihood, but a noble calling in the service of humanity.
Happy Birthday to the learned silk whose footprints at the Bar can neither be ignored nor forgotten.
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