The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has announced that it has shut down the registration centre for the ongoing Annual General Conference at the Eko Atlantic conference village and opened a new conference materials collection centre at BWC Hotel opposite Eko Atlantic.

Olumide Akpata, NBA President, who announced this in a statement, said collection of materials would commence at 2pm today (Wednesday, 24th August, 2022) at the BWC Hotel and that delegates would be admitted into the collection centre in batches of 80 at a time.

The decision to shut down the registration centre, according to Akpata, followed acts of vandalism at the centre on Tuesday night which led to its destruction.

“As you may already know, the registration center for the collection of materials by delegates at the ongoing Annual General Conference was broken into, vandalised, and looted by some delegates last night with most of the conference materials carted away and lawyers/registration officers injured,” Akpata said.

“Whilst we acknowledge and regret that there were lapses in the distribution process, last night’s incident was a national embarrassment as some of our members conducted themselves in a most despicable manner not expected of members of the profession,” he said.

The NBA President said the Bar cannot afford to risk the lives and safety of its members, colleagues and contractors at the conference venue on account of collection of materials.

“I have therefore met with the leadership of the TCCP, and a decision has been taken for the destroyed registration center at the conference village to be shut down and it is now being shut down. However, alternative arrangements have been made for the collection of materials by delegates,” he said.

Akpata said the new collection centre at the BWC Hotel is smaller than the previous one (which is now unusable) and, as a result, access to it for collection of materials would be controlled by allowing delegates into the collection centre in batches of 80 at a time.

“Delegates are expected to be seated (or to provide their details) in Breakout Room D at the Eko Atlantic pending when they are called, or sent a text message, to come to the collection center to pick up their materials.

“We assure you that every delegate would get his or her materials and therefore encourage our members to cooperate with the registration officers in this process so as to avoid a repeat of last night’s ugly incident,” Akpata said.