No fewer than 100 lawyers are currently under the radar of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This revelation coincided with the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) imposing sanctions on 17 others for various acts of professional misconduct, reports Vanguard.
Established under the Legal Practitioners Act, the LPDC reviews petitions alleging professional misbehavior, such as conflicts of interest, fund mismanagement, or courtroom impropriety.
Empowered by Section 10 of the Legal Practitioners Act (Cap. L11, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004), the Committee safeguards the integrity of Nigeria’s legal profession.
The LPDC’s latest report on misconduct was presented to the Body of Benchers (BoB) last week during its second annual lecture.
Attendees included Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun; Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN; and several Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
While the BoB regulates the profession—overseeing Calls to the Bar and professional standards—the LPDC independently investigates misconduct allegations.
Appeals from its decisions go directly to the Supreme Court.
The report detailed penalties for the 17 lawyers, ranging from two- to five-year suspensions for compromising professional standards.
But that was not all. At the event, EFCC Chairman Mr. Ola Olukayode—a lawyer himself—disclosed that over 100 legal practitioners under the agency’s investigation are suspected of involvement in financial fraud.
He added that charges have already been filed against some of them.
The EFCC boss had in a speech he delivered at the opening of the 6th Annual Criminal Law Review Conference in Abuja in November 2024, insisted that no mega financial fraud could be perfected in the country without lawyers’ input.
“The most traumatic discovery of the EFCC in recent years was the subjugation of national interest and well-being to personal interest by lawyers who aided briefcase foreign investors to fleece the nation in dubious transactions.
“The P&ID scam, the Mambilla Power Project, and the Sunrise issues are cases in point,” the EFCC Chairman stated, even as he called for action to stop what he described as “obscene legal fees” that senior lawyers receive from political office holders without recourse to financial regulations.
However, his allegation that lawyers not only enable corrupt practices to thrive in the country but also aid illicit financial flows into offshore accounts drew the ire of the NBA, which at that time had threatened to drag him to court.
“We challenge the EFCC Chairman to come up with empirical evidence; if he cannot, he should never make such a statement again.
“Unfortunately, he is one of us. He is a lawyer. We had earlier drawn his attention to the fact that many men and women who make the investigation and prosecution of cases by the EFCC worthwhile are lawyers.
“Is he then suggesting that those lawyers of his are aiding money laundering and the financing of terrorism?
“It is common in Nigeria for people to make hasty generalizations; yet, to my knowledge, very few lawyers have been prosecuted by the EFCC for aiding money laundering.
“For example, if he has evidence of many lawyers who have aided money laundering — who are standing trial, who may have been convicted, or who have pleaded guilty —then one could say that he has evidence.
“It is unfortunate that such a statement was made, and I am sure that with the benefit of hindsight, he would not have made it.
“The point must be made that all of us must be committed to ensuring that we do not use our professional services to aid money laundering or terrorism financing, but no agency should utilize the public platform to suggest that members of the legal profession are the most guilty members of the public in aiding one crime or the other.
“In the absence of evidence, such statements should never be made. We are proud members of the legal profession, and we must draw the line between performing our professional duties and aiding the commission of crime. We do not do that.
“There may be a few bad eggs, but that does not represent the picture or the majority of lawyers who toil to build a reputation of integrity and professionalism.
“The EFCC Chairman should not, for whatever reason, tarnish that image by portraying all of us as aiders and abettors of money laundering.
“If that happens again, we will take legal action to protect the image of the legal profession,” NBA President Osigwe, SAN, countered.
In a follow-up statement, the NBA urged anyone with evidence against any lawyer to forward a petition to the LPDC, insisting that the body has the capacity to weed out the bad eggs.
“While the NBA acknowledges that no profession is immune to ethical breaches or instances of misconduct, the broad profiling of Nigerian lawyers as primary enablers of financial crimes is not only inaccurate but unjustified.
“Such generalisations risk undermining public confidence in the legal profession, which plays a critical role in upholding justice and combating corruption in Nigeria.
“It is important to emphasize that the Nigerian legal profession has a robust disciplinary mechanism in place through the LPDC.
“This body has consistently demonstrated its commitment to maintaining professional ethics by investigating and prosecuting cases of misconduct against erring lawyers.
“Accordingly, we urge the EFCC Chairman to report any lawyer found complicit in financial crimes to the LPDC for appropriate action, rather than casting generalized aspersions on the entire legal profession,” the legal body added.
It is not debatable that Nigeria’s legal system grapples with unethical conduct among some lawyers which has become a persistent challenge.
In acknowledgement of this fact, the NBA had in January 2022, said it identified seven lawyers that influenced judges to issue conflicting court orders, especially on political matters.
The legal body said the seven lawyers, including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) were found culpable by its investigate committee.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the then President of the NBA, Mr. Olumide Apata, said the indicted lawyers would be charged before the LPDC for judicial misconduct.
“Some lawyers have been identified to have played roles in conflicting decisions that emanated from different courts recently. They are seven in number, including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“We are in the process of filing a petition against them before the LPDC. This is based on our determination to ensure that the system is protected, irrespective of those involved,” Apata stated.
Likewise, as part of its ongoing efforts, the NBA in June 2025 formed an LPDC Prosecutors’ Team to handle ethics cases before the committee.
At a special session that was held on September 29, 2025, to flag off the new legal year of the Supreme Court, the CJN also revealed that some lawyers had been referred to the LPDC for appropriate disciplinary action.
Barely two months after her disclosure, President Bola Tinubu tasked the judiciary to take decisive action to tackle concerns about its integrity.
He warned that justice must never be for sale.
Speaking during the opening session of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges Conference of the Superior Courts in Abuja, President Tinubu said his administration “stands ready to support every effort by the Judiciary to preserve its dignity and eliminate misconduct.”
“This is not a task for the National Judicial Council alone; it is a collective duty that rests on every judicial officer.
“Discipline within the Judiciary must be firm, transparent, and consistent. Only a Judiciary that cleanses itself can command the moral authority to cleanse society,” President Tinubu added.
While the LPDC serves as the guardian of ethical standards in the legal profession, its effectiveness depends on robust public awareness and active participation.
Every reported case and every voice raised against professional misconduct acts as a beacon of reform, fortifying the legal system and upholding its sanctity.
As both the LPDC and the EFCC tackle the rot within the Bar, expectations are equally high that the same gesture would be extended to the Bench by both the National Judicial Council (NJC) and other relevant agencies, such as the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB)—which is statutorily empowered to promote ethical standards among public officers by managing asset declarations and addressing potential breaches of the code of conduct.
