NBA V IBEBUNJO: A REVIEW OF CRIMINALIZATION OF SALE OF LAND BY NIGERIAN LAWYERS

Abstract

This  paper  is  a  review  of  the  direction  or  decision  of  the  Legal  Practitioners  Disciplinary  Committee  in  Nigerian Bar  Association  v. Ibebunjo, wherein  the  Disciplinary  Committee  held  that  sale  of  land  by  legal  practitioners  is  a professional misconduct andaccordingly ordered the name of the concerned legal practitioner struck off the roll of legal practitioners. This review of the case analyzes the facts and the evidence in the case as well as the direction of the Disciplinary Committee. It also considers the relevant legislation such as the Legal Practitioners Act, the Rules of  Professional  Conduct  for  Legal  Practitioners  2007,  the  Land  Use  Act  and  the  Constitution  of  the  Federal Republic  of  Nigeria  1999.  The  relevant  judicial  decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  of  the  Legal  Practitioners Disciplinary Committee are also considered. The derivatives from the statutory and judicial authorities are that the direction of the Disciplinary Committee is statutorily and judicially baseless. The paper also shows that the decision is practically and sociologically unsustainable in view of the current socio-economic state of the legal profession in the  country.  Accordingly,  recommendations  are  made  on  the  need  not  to  sustain  the  decision  in  the  case. Recommendations are also made for the amendment of the relevant provision of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners to make it come in tandem with the current economic and global realities.