A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and rights activist, Femi Falana, on Sunday raised concerns over a directive mandating legal practitioners to wear robes during proceedings before a General Court Martial convened to try 36 military officers accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Despite opposition to the establishment of a military tribunal for the alleged coup plotters, the military authorities have proceeded with the trial.

The General Court Martial was constituted following a Convening Order issued on April 23, 2026, by Major General A.M. Alechenu.

According to Item 9(g) of the Convening Order, all officers appearing before the court are required to wear “No 4 dress (or equivalent),” while soldiers must appear in “No 5 dress (or equivalent).”

The directive further stipulated that all civilian lawyers must be robed, whereas serving military officers who are also lawyers may choose between appearing in military uniform or legal robes.

Falana argued that the directive contradicts existing legal ethics governing practitioners in the country.

Citing the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2023, Falana pointed to provisions that restrict when and how lawyers may wear robes.

According to Falana, “Under Rule 8(5), a lawyer who is also a serving member of the armed forces is permitted to appear before a court-martial only in their capacity as a military officer, not as a legal practitioner.

“Additionally, Rule 45(2) prohibits lawyers from wearing their robes outside court proceedings unless expressly permitted by the Bar Council.”

The SAN maintained that the military’s directive is completely at variance with these rules and urged authorities to withdraw it.

He warned that any lawyer, whether acting as defence counsel or military prosecutor, who complies with the directive and appears robed before the court-martial could face disciplinary proceedings.

Such actions, he noted, may amount to professional misconduct, potentially leading to sanctions by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee.

Falana called on both civilian and military lawyers participating in the trial to adhere strictly to the Rules of Professional Conduct, stressing the need to uphold professional ethics regardless of the forum. (Nigerian Tribune)