By Ayodele Quadri, Lagos Times Correspondent
LAGOS, NIGERIA — Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chief Kemi Pinheiro has noted that following the passing of renowned legal scholar and advocate Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu (SAN), Chief Folake Solanke (SAN) becomes the most senior living Senior Advocate of Nigeria and statutory Vice-Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN).
Prof. Kasunmu, a former Attorney-General of Lagos State and former Dean of Law at the University of Lagos, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 9, 2026, at the age of 92. Until his death, Kasunmu held the distinction of being the most senior living member of the Inner Bar, a status that automatically conferred on him the statutory vice-chairmanship of BOSAN.
Key Operational Highlights
-
Shift in Bar Seniority: With Prof. Kasunmu’s passing, Chief Folake Solanke (SAN)—who made history in 1981 as the first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria—now steps into the rank of most senior living SAN and statutory Vice-Chairman of BOSAN.
-
Legacy of Prof. Kasunmu: Appointed to the Inner Bar in January 1978, Kasunmu was a scholar, legal practitioner, and former Lagos State Attorney-General (1975–1978). He taught at the University of Ife (now OAU) and UNILAG, mentoring generations of lawyers and judges.
-
BOSAN Hierarchy: BOSAN’s statutory leadership structure recognizes the most senior living SAN as its Vice-Chairman, serving alongside the Chairman.
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ NIGERIAN INNER BAR SENIORITY TRANSITION MATRIX │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Departed Icon : Prof. Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN (Aged 92) │
│ • Key Roles Held : • Statutory Vice-Chairman, BOSAN │
│ • Former Attorney-General, Lagos State (1975–78)│
│ • Former Dean of Law, University of Lagos │
│ │
│ • New Senior Living : Chief Folake Solanke, SAN │
│ SAN & BOSAN Vice- : (First female Senior Advocate of Nigeria, 1981) │
│ Chairperson │
│ │
│ • Legal Source : Tribute by Chief Kemi Pinheiro, SAN │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘“That Distinction and Position Now Fall on Chief Folake Solanke”
In a published tribute honoring the late scholar entitled “When a Giant Takes His Final Bow,” Chief Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) observed:
“Indeed, at the time of his passing, Prof. was the living most senior Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and, by virtue of that distinction, the statutory Vice-Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (BOSAN)… With his passing, that distinction and position now fall on Chief Folake Solanke, SAN, herself a towering figure of the Nigerian Bar.” — Chief Kemi Pinheiro, SAN
“It is a measure of the stature of Professor Kasunmu that he occupied that position among the very finest advocates of his generation… He had become, over the decades, a living institution of the Nigerian Bar; a man whose name carried weight in the courtroom, in the academy and in the administration of justice.” — Chief Kemi Pinheiro, SAN
