The doyen of Senior Advocates in Kwara State, Dr. Aliyu Alarape Salman, SAN is dead. He was was born on November 9, 1942 and aged 81 years.

Announcing the passing of the senior lawyer, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ilorin Branch, Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara wrote: “The Doyen of Senior Advocates in Kwara State, Dr. Aliyu Alarape Salman, SAN (Salman Salman’s dad) died peacefully in his sleep this morning.

“The janazah (burial) takes place today at his residence, No 53 Aderemi Adeleye Street, GRA. Ilorin, by 4pm.

“May Allah be please with him, and grant him Aljannat firdaus.”

Ojibara confirmed the incident to CITY LAWYER, saying arrangements were being made for the burial rites.

Salman celebrated his 75th birthday on November 9, 2017. He attended the popular Barewa College and the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in Lagos in 1968.

He was the first northerner to head the African Petroleum (AP). In 1976, he was appointed the attorney-general and commissioner of justice in Kwara State, where he worked till 1978 and resigned to establish his own law firm known as SARRA Chambers. He worked in his chambers till his death.

Speaking in an earlier interview, Salman Said: “I was born on November 9, 1942. I hail from Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State, precisely from the Baba Kinise house in Omoda area. My father was the imam of Baakini’s mosque but he based at Ake, Abeokuta in Ogun State. That’s why they called him Salman Ake. My mother came from Mosigba, and she is the eldest daughter of Alkali Nasiru.

I attended the Aladabiyyah Muslim School, which is now known as the Ansar l-Islam Primary School, up to Standard Two and later went to Baptist Day Primary School, Minna. I completed my elementary education at the Bababoko Primary School in Ilorin. I attended the prestigious Barewa College, Zaria and got the school certificate in 1959, after which I went to the Ahmadu Bello University. I was one of the few students who did preliminary education in one year instead of two years.

I graduated from the ABU in 1967 and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School in Lagos, where I qualified as a lawyer in 1968.

My contemporaries in the Bar are Justice Issa Ayo Salami and Justice Adegbite, who was also a judge in Kwara State. We were called to the Bar in 1968 with the present Emir of Ilorin.

I started work in the Ministry of Justice in Sokoto. In fact, I was a deputy solicitor- general. In 1976, I was appointed the attorney-general and commissioner for justice in Kwara State. I worked in that capacity till 1978 when I resigned because I had disagreement with the then governor of the state, George Ini, who was a military man. After my resignation, I started my chambers, which I named SARAA Chambers. SARAA represents first letters of names of my five children – Salman, Aisha, Rahmat, Amina and Alli.

I became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria on February 27, 1987 during the military regime of Muhammadu Buhari. I was the first person to become a SAN in Kwara State. That’s why they call me the doyen of SAN.

Luckily, two of my children, Salman Salman and Aminat Lukman Lawal are also lawyers.

I am the third child of my father’s 10 children. I have two elder brothers who attended universities in Cairo and are married to Arab women.

I have only one wife and I am not interested in partisan politics. I am also a member of the Body of Benchers; they are the people who confer people to become lawyers. When Olanipekun, who was the chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Kwara State recommended me, I was happy. And I was given a life membership from day one. In fact, Justice Kawu, who was a chief judge in Kwara State but retired as a judge in Supreme Court, said my father’s prayers were answered through me. That’s why they gave me life membership of the Body of Benchers. This is because after sometime, even Supreme Court judges seize to be members of the body.

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