Vanguard says that this news came out at the same time that the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) punished 17 other lawyers for other types of professional misconduct.
The LPDC was set up by the Legal Practitioners Act to look into complaints of professional misconduct, like conflicts of interest, mismanagement of funds, or bad behavior in court.
The Committee protects the integrity of Nigeria’s legal profession since Section 10 of the Legal Practitioners Act (Cap. L11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004) gives it that power.
Last week, during its second annual lecture, the Body of Benchers (BoB) heard the LPDC’s latest report on misconduct.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun; the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN; and a number of Senior Advocates of Nigeria were all there.
The LPDC looks into claims of misconduct on its own, whereas the BoB sets the rules for the profession and oversees Calls to the Bar and professional standards.
The Supreme Court hears appeals from its decisions.
The article said that the 17 lawyers would be punished with suspensions of two to five years for breaking professional norms.
But that wasn’t the only thing. Mr. Ola Olukayode, the chairman of the EFCC and a lawyer himself, said at the ceremony that more than 100 lawyers who are being looked into by the agency are suspected of being involved in financial crime.
He went on to say that several of them had already been charged.
In November 2024, the head of the EFCC gave a speech at the start of the 6th Annual Criminal Law Review Conference in Abuja. He said that no big financial fraud could be done in the country without attorneys’ help.
The EFCC’s most distressing finding in recent years was that lawyers who helped suitcase foreign investors cheat the country in shady deals put their own interests ahead of the country’s.
“The P&ID scam, the Mambilla Power Project, and the Sunrise issues are cases in point,” the EFCC Chairman said. He also asked for measures to eliminate what he called “obscene legal fees” that prominent lawyers get from politicians without having to follow the rules for money.
The NBA was angry with him for saying that lawyers not only help corrupt practices grow in the country but also help money flow illegally into offshore accounts. At the time, the NBA had threatened to take him to court.
“We dare the EFCC Chairman to show us proof; if he can’t, he should never say that again.
“Sadly, he is one of us. He is a lawyer. Earlier, we had told him that a lot of the people who make the EFCC’s work on cases worth it are lawyers.
“Is he saying that his lawyers are helping with money laundering and terrorism financing?”
“It is customary in Nigeria for individuals to jump to conclusions too quickly. However, as far as I know, the EFCC has only charged a small number of lawyers with helping with money laundering.
If he has proof that a lot of lawyers helped with money laundering and are now on trial, may have been found guilty, or have pleaded guilty, then one could conclude that he has proof.
He wouldn’t have said that if he had known better, which is too bad.
We all need to make sure that we don’t use our professional services to help with money laundering or terrorism financing. However, no agency should use the public platform to say that lawyers are the most guilty people in the public when it comes to helping with one crime or another.
“Such statements should never be made without proof. We are pleased to be lawyers, and we need to make sure that we don’t cross the line between doing our jobs and helping people commit crimes. We don’t do that.
“There may be a few bad apples, but it doesn’t mean that all lawyers are evil or that most of them are working hard to create a reputation for honesty and professionalism.
“The EFCC Chairman should not, for any reason, ruin that image by making it look like we are all helping with money laundering.
Osigwe, SAN, the president of the NBA, said, “If that happens again, we will take legal action to protect the image of the legal profession.”
In a follow-up statement, the NBA advised anyone who has proof against a lawyer to send a petition to the LPDC. They said that the LPDC has the power to get rid of the problematic lawyers.
The NBA says that no profession is free from ethical violations or bad behavior, yet it is not only wrong but also unfair to broadly label Nigerian attorneys as the main enablers of financial crimes.
“Such generalizations could make people less trusting of the legal profession, which is very important for fighting corruption and protecting justice in Nigeria.
“It is important to stress that the LPDC gives the Nigerian legal profession a strong way to punish bad behavior.
“This group has always shown that it is committed to upholding professional ethics by looking into and penalizing lawyers who break the rules.
The legal association went on to say, “We urge the EFCC Chairman to report any lawyer who is found to be involved in financial crimes to the LPDC for appropriate action, rather than making broad accusations against the entire legal profession.”
There is no doubt that Nigeria’s legal system needs to deal with some lawyers acting unethically, which has become a constant problem.
The NBA announced in January 2022 that it had found seven lawyers who pressured judges to make contradictory court judgments, notably on political issues.
The legal organization said that its investigation committee deemed the seven lawyers, one of whom was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), to be guilty.
Mr. Olumide Apata, the former President of the NBA, told reporters in Abuja that the lawyers who were charged would be tried by the LPDC for judicial misconduct.
“Some lawyers have been named as having been involved in conflicting decisions that came from different courts recently. There are seven of them, one of whom is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“We are in the midst of bringing a petition against them before the LPDC. “This is because we are determined to protect the system, no matter who is involved,” Apata said.
The NBA also set up an LPDC Prosecutors’ Team in June 2025 to handle ethics issues before the committee as part of its ongoing efforts.
The CJN also said that some lawyers had been sent to the LPDC for the right disciplinary action at a special session on September 29, 2025, to mark the start of the new legal year for the Supreme Court.
President Bola Tinubu told the courts to take strong measures to address concerns about their integrity less than two months after she made her statement.
He said that justice should never be for sale.
President Tinubu declared during the first session of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges Conference of the Superior Courts in Abuja that his government is “ready to support every effort by the Judiciary to preserve its dignity and eliminate misconduct.”
“This is not just the job of the National Judicial Council; it is the job of every judicial officer.”
“Discipline in the courts must be strict, clear, and always the same. President Tinubu said, “Only a Judiciary that cleanses itself can have the moral authority to cleanse society.”
The LPDC is in charge of keeping the legal profession’s ethical standards high, but it can only do this if people are aware of it and get involved.
Every case that is reported and every voice that speaks out against professional misconduct is a sign of change that makes the legal system stronger and protects its integrity.
The LPDC and the EFCC are both working to clean up the Bar, and people expect the same thing to happen with the Bench. The National Judicial Council (NJC) and other relevant agencies, like the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), which is legally required to promote ethical behavior among public officials by managing asset declarations and dealing with possible violations of the code of conduct, should also do the same.
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