THE Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has disclosed that no fewer than 100 senior lawyers in Nigeria are currently facing prosecution for various corruption-related offences, raising fresh concerns about ethical breaches within the legal profession.
News Point Nigeria reports that Olukoyede made the revelation on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at the second annual lecture of the Body of Benchers, an event attended by prominent members of the legal community and key stakeholders in the justice sector.
The EFCC chairman expressed worry over what he described as the growing involvement of some legal practitioners in financial crimes, warning that the development poses a serious threat to the credibility of the justice system.
According to Olukoyede, the anti-graft agency has received numerous petitions accusing lawyers of engaging in fraudulent practices and other financial offences.
“We have had calls to investigate quite a number of senior members of the Bar,” he said.
He explained that a review of the commission’s database revealed that about 100 senior lawyers are currently being prosecuted for offences uncovered during investigations.
“Before I came here, I checked our database and discovered that we have about 100 senior members of the Bar that we are prosecuting at the moment for those offences,” he said.
Olukoyede added that the cases involve a range of alleged misconduct, including the diversion of clients’ funds and aiding money laundering operations.
He stressed that addressing the issue requires collaboration between anti-corruption agencies and leaders of the legal profession.
“It has become very necessary for us to work together,” he said.
At the event, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee also presented its 2025 report, detailing disciplinary actions taken against lawyers found guilty of professional misconduct.
Presenting the report, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Onyechi Ikpeazu said 17 legal practitioners were sanctioned after investigations established that they engaged in unethical practices while performing their professional duties.
According to him, the offences were categorised as “infamous conduct in the course of the performance of their duties as legal practitioners.”
Ikpeazu explained that the penalties imposed ranged from outright removal from the roll of legal practitioners to varying periods of suspension.
“Three of the indicted practitioners had their names struck off the roll of legal practitioners,” he said.
“Three were suspended for five years, two were suspended for four years, five were suspended for three years, four were suspended for two years, while the last one was given a warning.”
Chairman of the Body of Benchers and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kayode Ariwoola, said the annual lecture was convened to encourage reflection within the legal profession and reinforce ethical standards.
“Our gathering today is not a jamboree. It is a time of reflection on our values, ethics and ethos as well as our resilience and faith in the institution,” Ariwoola said.
He stressed the need for lawyers to uphold the highest standards of professionalism in order to maintain the credibility of the legal system.
In her remarks, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, highlighted the critical role of regulation and discipline in sustaining the integrity of the legal profession.
She noted that the responsibilities of the Body of Benchers go beyond admitting new lawyers into the Bar.
According to her, the institution is also tasked with maintaining professional discipline and safeguarding public confidence in Nigeria’s justice system.
“The responsibility extends beyond admission into the legal profession to ensuring that discipline is maintained and that public confidence in the justice system is preserved,” she said.
The Body of Benchers remains the apex regulatory authority responsible for the admission and discipline of legal practitioners in Nigeria.