A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Muritala Oladimeji Abdul-Rasheed, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Abdulwasiu Alfa, Esq., demanding the withdrawal of a social media publication he described as defamatory and injurious to his professional reputation.

The demand was conveyed in a letter dated February 20, 2026, written by Tajudeen O. Oladoja, SAN & Co., and addressed to Abdulwasiu Alfa in Maiduguri.

In the correspondence, counsel to Abdul-Rasheed, SAN faulted a publication circulated on February 16, 2026, bearing the headline: “THOSE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES DO NOT THROW STONES: MURRAY SHOULD ALLOW THE BAR TO HEAL FROM THE MCARTHUR FOUNDATION GRANT SAGA.”

According to the letter, the publication alleged that Abdul-Rasheed had previously been denied consideration for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on account of an alleged failure to account for funds said to have been received from the MacArthur Foundation. It was further claimed that he would not have been conferred with the rank if certain information had been made available to the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC).

The publication was said to have been circulated on platforms including WhatsApp and Instagram, and allegedly attracted attention within the Nigerian Bar Association and beyond.

The SAN’s solicitors described the claims as libellous, contending that the statements portrayed their client as unethical, criminally inclined and undeserving of the prestigious rank of SAN. They also rejected what they termed an implied allegation that Abdul-Rasheed misappropriated the sum of $126,527.00 purportedly linked to advocacy efforts on the Administration of Criminal Justice Law across the 36 states of the federation.

The firm maintained that the publication was malicious and calculated to expose their client to public ridicule and contempt.

It demanded that Alfa, within 48 hours of receipt of the letter, retract the publication from all platforms where it appeared, issue an unreserved written apology addressed to the SAN through his solicitors, and publish the retraction and apology on the same platforms as well as in two national newspapers with nationwide circulation, including Daily Trust.

The letter warned that failure to comply within the stipulated period would compel the firm to initiate legal proceedings to seek appropriate remedies.

As of press time, there had been no public response from the recipient of the letter.