Abuja, Nigeria – The President of the African Bar Association (AfBA), High Chief Ibrahim Eddy Mark, on Tuesday paid a courtesy visit to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, at the Army Headquarters in Abuja. The meeting further strengthened ties between the Association and the Nigerian Army ahead of AfBA’s upcoming annual conference in Accra, Ghana, scheduled for 19th-23rd October 2025.
The AfBA President was accompanied by a strong delegation, including Mohammed Ndanyako, SAN (Vice President, Budget & Finance); Dr Samson Osagie (AfBA Council member/Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Edo State); Moses Ebute, SAN (Legal Adviser); Major General Wambai (member); Afam Okeke (Director of Treasury); Owoicho Adejo-Ogiri (Director of Membership); Mimi Ayua (AfBA Women Forum) and Teyojesam Eko (media aide to the AfBA President). The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) was joined by a number of Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) and senior military representatives.
In his remarks, High Chief Eddy Mark commended the Nigerian Army for its longstanding partnership with AfBA. He noted that since AfBA’s revival in 2016, the Nigerian Army has consistently participated in its annual conferences. He praised the COAS for approving a strong delegation of officers to attend the upcoming conference in Ghana, themed “Foreign Interests in Africa: Exploitation or Investment?”
Eddy Mark highlighted AfBA’s mission since its founding in 1971, emphasizing its commitment to promoting peace, resolving conflicts across African states, and supporting African lawyers both on the continent and in the diaspora. He assured the Nigerian Army of AfBA’s continued advocacy for the rights and welfare of military personnel, while also pledging legal support on issues both locally and internationally.
Responding, Lt Gen Oluyede welcomed the AfBA delegation and acknowledged the Association’s defence of Nigeria in international fora. The COAS called for stronger collaboration between the legal profession and the military, urging Nigerian lawyers to better understand the unique challenges of the army. He also appealed for judicial support in terrorism cases, noting the setbacks caused by technicalities at appellate courts.
Lt Gen Oluyede reiterated the Army’s readiness to collaborate with AfBA in sensitizing the public and judiciary on the military’s efforts to protect the nation.
The meeting concluded with the presentation of a plaque of honour to African Bar Association, President Eddy Mark by the Chief of Army Staff, followed by a group photograph to commemorate the visit.
