Tunde Bakare
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has called on legal practitioners across the country to desist from the illegal and unethical practice of charging clients in foreign currencies.
The call was made on Friday, September 11, 2026, in Lagos by the Acting Zonal Director of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, Ikoyi, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo, when he received a delegation of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA’s Lagos Task Force on Illegal Practice of Law, led by its Head, Moshood Abiola, on a courtesy visit to his office.
Speaking during the interactive session, Kaltungo expressed concern over the activities of lawyers who engage in illegal and unethical practices, stressing that the Commission would not hesitate to prosecute anyone found culpable.
According to him, the Directorate is currently handling two cases involving lawyers who allegedly charged their clients in foreign currencies.
He said: “We are also worried about the activities of lawyers who are involved in illegal and unethical practices.
“We have two cases of lawyers who were found to have charged fees in dollars. This is unethical and illegal, as the Naira is the country’s legal tender.
“We usually don’t want to have issues with members of the NBA. However, some lawyers are pushing us. Any lawyer we find culpable of charging clients in foreign currencies will be prosecuted.”
The Acting Zonal Director also cautioned lawyers against invoking the name of the EFCC to impose excessive charges on clients.
He said although lawyers had the right to determine their professional fees, they should not misrepresent the Commission or falsely claim that the fees demanded from clients were required by the EFCC.
“Also, lawyers should stop name-dropping the EFCC to overcharge their clients.
“They have the right to charge their clients as much as they like, but they shouldn’t drag the EFCC into it. They should desist from all these unethical practices,” he said.
Earlier, Abiola commended the Commission for its recent prosecution and conviction of a fake lawyer, describing the process as “swift and reassuring.”
He said the NBA Task Force had several cases involving lawyers allegedly engaged in malpractice, hence the need for stronger collaboration with the EFCC to ensure that legal practitioners found culpable of criminal conduct were prosecuted.
He said: “We appreciate the EFCC for the recent prosecution of a fake lawyer. It was swift, and we are glad that the EFCC was able to get the court to convict him.
“However, recently, we have a case involving a lawyer who has been engaging in malpractice. We have several cases like that, and we would like to strengthen our collaboration with the EFCC so that these individuals can be prosecuted and made to face the law.”
Reacting to one of Abiola’s remarks, ACE I Orhieoghene Adewunmi of the Department of Legal and Prosecution, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, urged the NBA to ensure that appropriate publications were made concerning lawyers found culpable of unethical practices.
She said such publicity would help members of the public identify practitioners who had been sanctioned for professional misconduct and avoid engaging their services.
In the same vein, ACE II Henry Anasoh, also of the Department of Legal and Prosecution, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, raised concerns over practices by some legal practitioners who assist suspects in obstructing investigations or frustrating the administration of justice.
He said there had been instances of lawyers helping clients to forge documents for bail purposes, including cases where purported medical records were presented in support of bail applications.
Anasoh also expressed concern over cases in which lawyers approach courts to restrain the EFCC from investigating or prosecuting their clients, including through fundamental rights enforcement suits arising from invitations issued by the Commission.
He, therefore, urged the NBA to assist the EFCC in its efforts to rid the legal profession of “unscrupulous practitioners”, stressing that the conduct of a few lawyers should not undermine the integrity of the profession.