Adeniyi Emerges Nigerian Law School's Best Graduating Student for 2026

Israel Adekunle Adeniyi has been named Overall Best Graduating Student at the Nigerian Law School's 2026 Call to Bar, marking the latest milestone in an academic career that began at the University of Ilorin. Adeniyi, who hails from Offa, completed his Bar Part II training at the Law School's Lagos Campus, where he emerged top of his cohort at the 2026 Call to Bar ceremony. His path to the honour was already well established before he got there: he had earlier graduated as the best student in the Common Law programme at the University of Ilorin, posting a cumulative grade point average of 4.83 — the highest ever recorded in the faculty's history. The University of Ilorin Law Students' Society was among those to publicly confirm and celebrate the achievement, writing on X: "We extend our sincere congratulations to Israel Adekunle Adeniyi as he emerges as the Best Graduating Student at the Nigerian Law School... We celebrate his great achievements which have continuously served as a source of inspiration for us all." Following his latest feat, the Abubakar Bukola Saraki Foundation honoured Adeniyi with a ₦2 million cash award. The foundation said its founder, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, hosted Adeniyi for dinner in recognition of his performance. In a statement on X, the foundation said the award was given "in recognition of his outstanding performance, discipline, and unwavering commitment to excellence," adding that it also referenced his earlier distinction as best graduating student from the University of Ilorin's Faculty of Law. The foundation said celebrating academic excellence remains central to its mission of encouraging outstanding young Nigerians. With this latest honour, Adeniyi has now topped his class at both the university and professional training levels, a rare double that marks him out as one of the country's most promising young lawyers.