By Nkechi Eze
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned legal practitioners against charging clients in foreign currencies, describing the practice as illegal and unethical and stressing that the naira remains Nigeria’s legal tender.
The warning was issued on Friday, September 11, 2026, in Lagos by the Acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Ikoyi, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo, when he received a delegation of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Task Force on Illegal Practice of Law, led by its Head, Moshood Abiola, on a courtesy visit to his office.
Kaltungo said the Directorate was currently handling two cases involving lawyers who allegedly charged their clients in dollars, warning that practitioners found culpable would be prosecuted.
“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,” he said.
The Acting Zonal Director said the Commission would ordinarily prefer not to have issues with members of the legal profession but would take action against lawyers who violated the law.
“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,” he added.
Kaltungo also cautioned lawyers against invoking the name of the EFCC to impose excessive charges on their clients, noting that while legal practitioners had the right to determine their professional fees, they should not falsely represent such charges as requirements of the Commission.
“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 EFCC for the recent prosecution and conviction of a fake lawyer, describing the process as swift and reassuring.
He disclosed that the NBA Task Force had several cases involving lawyers allegedly engaged in malpractice and called for stronger collaboration with the EFCC to ensure that practitioners involved in criminal conduct were prosecuted.
“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,” Abiola said.
He urged the Commission to collaborate more closely with the NBA in addressing cases of professional misconduct and criminal practices within the legal profession.
Also speaking, ACE I Orhieoghene Adewunmi of the Department of Legal and Prosecution, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, urged the NBA to publish details of lawyers found culpable of unethical practices.
She said such publicity would enable members of the public to identify practitioners sanctioned for professional misconduct and avoid engaging their services.
Similarly, ACE II Henry Anasoh of the Department of Legal and Prosecution raised concerns over alleged instances where some lawyers assist suspects in obstructing investigations or frustrating the administration of justice.
Anasoh cited cases in which lawyers allegedly helped suspects forge documents for bail applications, including purported medical records, as well as instances where legal practitioners approached courts to restrain the EFCC from investigating or prosecuting their clients.
He urged the NBA to support the EFCC in its efforts to rid the legal profession of “unscrupulous practitioners”, stressing that the actions of a few individuals should not tarnish the integrity of the profession.
