Fake Lawyers: Stop Parading Yourself as Lawyer Now-NBA Ikeja Chairman

 Members of the general public, particularly those that are parading themselves as lawyers have been warned to stop such a bad attitude. The chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Oluseyi Olawumi, handed down the warning to “fake lawyers” with a promise to sanitise the court environment.

Olawumi said this at the December meeting of the NBA Ikeja Branch, issued a warning to people who parade themselves as lawyers while insisting that they cannot be lawyers without passing through legal education and warning lawyers who work with them to be careful.

“When we come for them, let them know that somebody somewhere warned them,” the NBA Chairman said.

Olawumi told the association that an alleged “fake lawyer” was apprehended on November 30, by a lawyer-member of the  NBA.

He said the alleged fake lawyer, Chioma Uche, had initially confessed to falsely presenting herself as a lawyer at the Itire police station but recanted later leading the police to prosecute her.

“She has been remanded at the Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre after she pleaded not guilty. The case has been adjourned to January 16, 2024,” the chairman said.

Olawumi cautioned the act of soliciting affidavits in front of the courthouse by people.

He told the lawyers, “Stop giving our jobs to touts to do for us.”

One of the lawyers, Ifeyinywa Okpalaku, told the NBA Chairman to look inward in his administration’s fight against fake lawyers and solicitors of affidavit applicants.

Okpalaku asked the chairman to reconcile the matter first with the registry of the courthouses and said, “The registry is encouraging them.”

Olawumi said the NBA Ikeja Branch will set up a special committee to implement the project of sanitising the courthouses.