A 47-year-old man identified as Tajudeen Idris, a suspected fake lawyer, has been arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command for posing as a legal practitioner.
Idris was arrested on Friday at Magistrates’ Court 6 in the Ifo Local Government Area of the state.
The suspect was said to have appeared before I. A. Arogundade, Chief Magistrate in a civil case between one Ifeanyi Chuckwu and Ayo Itori.
Idris allegedly claimed to be a counsel from Tajudeen O. Idris & Co. Chambers and was representing one of the parties.
Abimbola Oyeyemi, The state Police Public Relations Officer, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
The PPRO said the suspected fake lawyer’s conduct and his manner of presentation before the chief magistrate aroused suspicion about his qualification as a lawyer.
Oyeyemi said the suspect’s action prompted the chief magistrate to ask him for the year he was called to the bar, which he claimed to be 2009.
“But further enquiry revealed that his name was nowhere to be found among those called to the bar in 2009, hence the police were invited.
“Consequently, CSP Adeniyi Adekunle, the DPO, Ifo Division, detailed his operatives to the scene, where the suspect was apprehended and he is currently undergoing investigation.”
Oyeyemi, said, Edward Ajogun, the Commissioner of Police, had expressed concern over the increase in the number of fake lawyers frauding people of their hard-earned money.
The CP recollected that not less than five cases of fake lawyers had been reported since his assumption of office less than two months ago.
According to Oyeyemi, on August 12, 2020, one Sylvester Ogbagu, 56-year-old was arrested at Sagamu while parading himself as a lawyer; while another man Adedeji Ebenezer was also arrested on the court premises at Itori on August 5, 2020, while appearing for a client; he was tried and afterwards sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
The PPRO added, “Another suspected fake lawyer, Elijah Ayodeji Ojo, was also arrested at the Ajuwon Police Station on the 28th of June when he came to solicit a so-called client, who was having a criminal matter with the police.
“Likewise, one Lawrence Oyedunu was arrested in Sango Ota while presenting himself as a counsel to a suspect.
“The Commissioner of Police, therefore, called on the state branch of the National Bar Association to put necessary apparatus in motion to check the activities of these fraudulent people.
The CP also appealed to those who wish to be lawyers to take a cue from the determined effort of a traditional ruler in the state, talking about the Towulade of Akinale, who at 75 years of age, still endeavoured to go to the Law School because of his interest in the legal profession rather than impersonating.”