Skip to content 
Friday, Sept 4, 2026
Nigeria’s legal profession has lost one of its most towering and erudite personalities. Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN, died on August 9, 2026, at the age of 92. At the time of his passing, he held the status of being the most senior living Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the statutory Vice-Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN), a fitting distinction for a man who, for more than sixty years, stood at the very core of the legal profession in Nigeria.
Born in Lagos in 1934, with roots in Ilesa, Osun State, Prof Kasunmu trained in London before returning home to begin an academic career at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1962. He later moved to the University of Lagos, rose to become a full Professor of Law, and served as Dean of the Faculty of Law between 1973 and 1975. From there, he was appointed Attorney-General of Lagos State (1975–1978), before founding his law chambers in 1978. The following year, he was conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the 20th lawyer in the country’s history to receive the honour and went on to practise actively in and out of courts for well over six decades.
Few Nigerian lawyers managed, as he did, to be equally distinguished in the classroom and in the courtroom. He was a distinguished author of books, and his advocacy left its imprint through many landmark decisions, including the popular case of Kotoye v. Central Bank, which restricted the granting of ex parte injunctions, and too many others to mention.
In the outpouring of tributes that followed his death, colleagues at every level of the profession, including his fellow Senior Advocates and former and present Attorneys-General, remembered the same qualities: a formidable and forensic mind, an unusual gentleness of spirit, an unshakeable commitment to principle and loyalty over financial reward, and a deep family legacy in the law that now continues even through his grandchildren.
At the Night of Tributes held in his honour, Mrs Bunmi Ibrahim captured something closer to home for those of us, including her, who trained under Prof. She noted that many of us who passed through his chambers are proud to identify simply as “awon omo Kasunmu”, that is, “the children of Kasunmu”. It is an identity built on traits he instilled in all of us without exception: “a commitment to the pursuit of excellence; the utmost professional courtesy to colleagues, in and out of the courtroom; an innate fluency in verbal and written advocacy; and, above all, integrity of character and purpose”.
But beyond the public record, beyond the honours and offices, the Prof. I knew was the man who made room for young people, trusted them with responsibility, corrected them without crushing them, and quietly taught them how to carry themselves in the profession.
I count myself among the proudest of his children. My relationship with him was, in truth, that of a father and son. It shaped much of what I know about the practice of law, and it remains one of the great blessings of my professional life.
As Prof. is being laid to rest today, 4th September 2026, I write with deep reflection and gratitude. I first met Prof. as a Year 3 law student from the University of Lagos, walking into his chambers as an intern. I did not know then that I had just met someone who would become much more than a principal or mentor to me. In many ways, he became a father. He took to me almost immediately, and I was awed by his calmness, gentleness, patience, his stature, and the way he carried his brilliance with such humility.
I was therefore drawn to Prof completely. So, while many of my mates went off to intern at other Lagos firms the following year, I returned to Prof’s chambers. By the time Law School and NYSC ended, I did not have to look for a job. I already had one. By then, I had received the kind of legal education that no classroom could have given me.
As his junior, I watched him turn quiet stillness into efficient advocacy, engaging even the most formidable opposing counsel with calm precision any time he rose to speak. He threw real responsibility my way, some of it overwhelming at the time, but I now understand that was simply how boys become men. His generosity followed the same pattern, going beyond mere words of encouragement. When I chose to study energy law, he happily provided references and financial support towards my master’s programme, with fatherly check-ins whenever I made the trip from Scotland to see him in London while he was on vacation there.
He was, above all, a man of unbending integrity, and a father to far more than his own children. I would smile whenever a judge or senior lawyer saw me in court and asked, “How is your father?” They meant Prof. and they were right.
I remain deeply grateful to have learnt from him and passed through his tutelage. Thank you, Prof. ABK! You ran and completed your race excellently. And for those of us whose races are still ahead, may God grant us the wisdom and strength not to falter, so that our legacies might also live on long after we are gone. Sleep well, Prof.!
