{"id":6656,"date":"2024-11-27T08:06:27","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T08:06:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/?p=6656"},"modified":"2024-11-27T08:06:27","modified_gmt":"2024-11-27T08:06:27","slug":"nba-slams-efcc-chairman-for-baseless-allegations-against-lawyers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/27\/nba-slams-efcc-chairman-for-baseless-allegations-against-lawyers\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Slams EFCC Chairman for Baseless Allegations Against Lawyers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly criticized the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede<\/strong>, for alleging that lawyers are complicit in money laundering<\/strong> and terrorism financing<\/strong> in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Speaking in Abuja during the unveiling of the 2025 NBA Annual General Conference Logo and Theme\u2014“Stand Out, Stand Tall”<\/strong>\u2014NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN<\/strong>, labeled the allegations as sweeping and baseless<\/strong>, cautioning against such accusations without evidence.<\/p>\n

EFCC Chairman’s Allegations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Olukoyede, at the 6th Annual Criminal Law Review Conference<\/strong>, alleged that lawyers play a critical role in facilitating major financial fraud, citing examples such as:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • P&ID Scam<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Mambilla Power Project<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • Sunrise Issue<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    He further criticized what he termed “obscene legal fees” received by senior lawyers from political officeholders, urging stricter adherence to financial regulations.<\/p>\n

    NBA’s Response<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Osigwe refuted the claims, emphasizing the professionalism and integrity of the legal community.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIn the absence of evidence, such statements should never be made,\u201d Osigwe said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    While acknowledging the presence of a few “bad eggs,” Osigwe maintained that they do not reflect the majority of lawyers, who uphold ethical standards. He urged the EFCC chairman to exercise caution, warning of potential legal action<\/strong> should such baseless accusations persist.<\/p>\n

    NBA’s Call for Accountability<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Osigwe encouraged the public and journalists with evidence of lawyer misconduct to report such cases to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC)<\/strong> for appropriate action.<\/p>\n

    “We must draw the line in performing our professional duties and aiding the commission of crime. The EFCC chairman must not soil our image by generalizing unfounded accusations,” he warned.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    2025 NBA Annual General Conference Theme<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    The unveiling event also highlighted the 2025 NBA Annual General Conference Theme<\/strong>\u2014“Stand Out, Stand Tall”<\/strong>\u2014as a rallying cry for legal professionals to uphold justice with integrity and professionalism.<\/p>\n

    Dr. Emeka Obegolu, SAN<\/strong>, chairman of the conference planning committee, emphasized the theme\u2019s significance:<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt challenges us to embrace excellence and innovation while remaining steadfast in our values and commitments to justice.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    16-Day Activism Against SGBV<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    In addition to the conference activities, the NBA launched a 16-day campaign against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)<\/strong>. The initiative includes prison and detention center visits to secure the release of eligible detainees.<\/p>\n

    This dual focus on accountability and social justice underscores the NBA’s commitment to promoting integrity and equity across Nigeria\u2019s legal landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly criticized the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, for alleging that lawyers are complicit in money laundering and terrorism financing in Nigeria. Speaking in Abuja during the unveiling of the 2025 NBA Annual General Conference Logo and Theme\u2014“Stand Out, Stand Tall”\u2014NBA President […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6656"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6660,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6656\/revisions\/6660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shakamomodu.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}