EFCC prosecutes 100 senior lawyers over corruption as Body of Benchers calls for ethical reform

At least 100 senior lawyers are currently facing prosecution for corruption-related offences, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed.

EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this on Thursday during the second annual lecture of the Body of Benchers in Abuja, an event attended by leading figures in Nigeria’s legal profession.

Speaking on the growing involvement of lawyers in financial crimes, Olukoyede noted that the anti-graft agency had received multiple petitions against members of the Bar.

“We have had calls to investigate quite a number of senior members of the Bar,” he said.

The EFCC boss, himself a lawyer, explained that investigations had uncovered offences ranging from diversion of clients’ funds to facilitating money laundering.

“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. It has become very necessary for us to work together,” he added.

The lecture also featured the presentation of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) 2025 report, which highlighted sanctions imposed on erring lawyers.

LPDC Chairman, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), said 17 practitioners were punished for professional misconduct.

“Three of the indicted practitioners had their names struck off the roll of legal practitioners,” Ikpeazu 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.”

The Body of Benchers’ Chairman and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kayode Ariwoola, emphasised that the gathering was intended for reflection on the values, ethics, and ethos of the legal profession.

“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.

Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, also spoke at the event, underscoring the importance of regulatory oversight in sustaining public confidence in the justice system.

She noted that the Body of Benchers’ responsibilities go beyond admitting lawyers into the profession, stressing that maintaining discipline is essential to preserving the integrity of the judiciary.

The Body of Benchers is Nigeria’s apex regulatory body for the admission and discipline of legal practitioners.

Participants at the lecture, according to a Channels Television report, agreed that strengthening discipline, ethics, and professionalism within the Bar is crucial to restoring public trust in the legal system.

The revelation that 100 senior lawyers are under EFCC investigation comes amid growing concerns about the perception of lawyers as facilitators of financial crimes, a development that has sparked calls for stricter enforcement of ethical standards across the profession.