The Fallacy of “Barrister” Bucknor: A Stain on the University of Abuja’s Name

The legal profession is not a playground for impostors. It is a sacred calling, preserved for men and women of proven integrity, training, and discipline. Unfortunately, we are daily confronted with individuals who desecrate this noble profession, parading themselves as “lawyers” without the slightest trace of qualification. One such character is the self-acclaimed “Barrister Bucknor,” whose actions in recent times have drawn public anger and ridicule.

From all verifications conducted, there exists no record of this so-called barrister ever attending a law school, let alone being called to the Nigerian Bar. Yet, with audacity and recklessness, he continues to prefix his name with the sacred title of “Barrister,” moving up and down without scrutiny. At best, this is a fraud; at worst, it is an insult to the sanctity of the legal profession.

Disturbingly, reports indicate that Bucknor even claims to run a “legal firm” in Gwagwalada. The question is simple: where did this man train? Is this another case of a “two-weeks Benin Republic University lawyer” who rushes through some backdoor arrangement and emerges, overnight, as a self-declared legal luminary? Nigerians deserve an urgent answer.

The matter does not end with his dubious credentials. On the 3rd of September, this same “Barrister” Bucknor organized thugs in Gwagwalada that degenerated into physical assault and verbal attacks against the Student Union Government (SUG) executives of the University of Abuja, led by Comrade Jamiu Tobi. Their “crime”? Peacefully protesting against Bucknor’s attempt to grab a portion of land belonging to the university — land that was duly allocated to the institution by the Federal Government in 1988.

How then does Bucknor claim that the land was given to him by Gwagwalada Local Government, a council that did not even exist when the University of Abuja was founded? This is not just a contradiction; it is a fallacy of the highest order. As Aristotle once wrote, “What is false is closer to nothing than what is true.” Bucknor’s claims collapse under the weight of historical and legal truth.

To compound his disgrace, Bucknor reportedly dragged the University’s SUG to the FCT Police Command, threatening violence and even making death threats against students. A man who threatens to kill students cannot be called a lawyer; he belongs behind bars, not before the Bar.

This shameful drama tarnishes the image of the University of Abuja. An alumnus is meant to be a source of pride to their alma mater. As Patrice Lumumba once declared, “The future of Africa lies in the hands of its sons and daughters who must bring honor to their soil, not disgrace.” Unfortunately Bucknor o has chosen the path of dishonor.

We have seen universities worldwide celebrated by the good works of their alumni — politicians who fund scholarships, professionals who build infrastructure, and advocates who elevate the name of their institutions. But in Bucknor, the University of Abuja has been saddled with a son whose conduct only brings ridicule.

Worse still, some disgruntled elements within the alumni body — low-performing graduates unable to secure honorable employment — have now turned themselves into Gwagwalada thugs, conniving with Bucknor to seize university land in exchange for peanuts. These actions are not only shameful but criminal.

Therefore, as a matter of urgency, I call upon the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to investigate the authenticity of Bokno’s so-called legal qualifications. If, as evidence suggests, he is not a lawyer, the NBA must strip him of the fraudulent title “Barrister” and prosecute him for impersonation.

Equally, I call on the University of Abuja Alumni Association to distance itself from this disgrace and to sanction any members who are colluding with him in this act of land grabbing. Alumni should be custodians of their institution’s honor, not accomplices to its humiliation.

The Athenians taught us that “The law is reason free from passion.” But reason compels us, in this case, to act passionately in defense of justice, the law, and the dignity of the University of Abuja.

The legal profession must be protected from charlatans. Our university must be defended from opportunists. And our students must be safeguarded from thugs parading as lawyers.

Barrister Bucknor is not a barrister. He is an accident to the legal profession. And it is time we called him what he truly is — a fraud.