Police grab fake lawyer in court

The Ogun Police command have arrested a 47-year-old Tajudeen Olufemi Idris for parading himself as a lawyer at Ifo, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The suspect was arrested at Magistrate Court 6 Ifo, while appearing before Chief magistrate I.A Arogundade in a civil trial between one Ifeanyi Chuckwu and Ayo Itori.

Information gathered indicated that the suspect claimed to be a legal counsel from Tajudeen O. Idris & Co Chamber, representing one of the parties.

His conduct before the Chief Magistrate raised the suspicion of the judicial officer who asked for the suspect’s qualifications and the year he was called to the bar.

The suspect reportedly said he was called to the bar in 2009, but a further enquiry revealed that his name was missing from the list of 2009 lawyers.

The spokesman of the Police Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, on Monday said the DPO Ifo division, CSP Adeniyi Adekunle, upon receipt detailed his operatives to the scene where the suspect was apprehended. He said the suspect is currently undergoing investigation.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Ajogun, expressed concern over the increase in the number of people impersonating lawyers, thereby swindling people of their hard-earned money, according to a statement by Oyeyemi.

According to him, not less than five cases of fake lawyers have been reported since his assumption of office about two months ago.

The police publicist said the CP called on the state branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to put necessary machinery in motion to checkmate the activities of these fraudulent people.