NBA slams EFCC chairman for accusing lawyers of aiding financial fraud
The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA on Monday threatened to take legal action against the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, over his allegations that lawyers facilitate corruption and aid illicit financial flows to offshore accounts.
In a speech at the 6th Annual Criminal Law Review Conference in Abuja, the EFCC Chairman claimed that no major financial fraud could occur without lawyers’ involvement.
He said the troubling discovery by the EFCC, means that lawyers prioritize personal gain over national interest, particularly in cases like the P&ID scam and the Mambilla Power Project.
He also criticized the “obscene legal fees” senior lawyers receive from political figures, calling for action against this practice.
In response, the NBA, represented by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, condemned Olukoyede for casting the legal profession in a negative light.
Osigwe argued that the EFCC Chairman lacked sufficient evidence to back his claims.
He said: “We challenge the EFCC Chairman to come up with empirical evidence and if he can not, he should never make such a statement again
