Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Ibrahim Ramalan
Published on 2024-03-19 11:25:32
Prof. Cyril Ndifon, the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar, UNICAL, has taken the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) counsel, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, to a Federal High Court in Abuja. Ndifon’s lawyer, Joe Agi, SAN, stated in a motion on notice marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/511/2023 before Justice James Omotosho that Akponimisingha was not qualified to practice law.
Ndifon alleged that Akponimisingha’s name was not listed on the roll of legal practitioners in Nigeria as per the Legal Practitioners Act’s Section 2. As a result, he requested the court to dismiss the four-count charge against him and his co-defendant, Sunny Anyanwu.
In a motion dated March 15, Agi argued that the amended charge was flawed due to the questionable identity of ICPC’s lawyer, rendering the court unable to entertain the case. Agi, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, felt obligated to bring Akponimisingha’s alleged professional misconduct and violation of the law to the court’s attention.
The motion also pointed out that the amended charge was brought by Dr. Osuobeni Ekoi Akponimisingha, who was not listed on the legal practitioners’ roll in Nigeria according to the Legal Practitioners Act. Furthermore, Agi highlighted that Joshua E. Alobo, representing the prosecution as counsel, did not have the Attorney-General of the Federation’s approval to act in a criminal case.
Agi sought an order to strike out the amended charge, emphasizing that it was incompetent and filed by someone not authorized to practice law in Nigeria. He also requested that Akponimisingha and Alobo be referred to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for falsely using the titles “Dr.” and “Professor,” misrepresenting themselves and bringing shame to the legal profession.
In an affidavit supporting the motion, Anyanwu stated that granting the application would serve the cause of justice and support ICPC’s mandate to combat corruption in the nation. He argued that considering the circumstances of the case, it would be in the interest of justice to grant the reliefs sought.
Ndifon and Anyanwu were re-arraigned on January 25 on an amended four-count charge related to alleged sexual harassment and attempts to pervert the course of justice. Anyanwu, a part of the defense team, was included in the amended charge filed by the ICPC on January 22 for allegedly threatening a key witness, TKJ, during Ndifon’s case.
Overall, the legal battle between Ndifon and the ICPC has brought to light allegations of misconduct and violations of the law, raising questions about the qualifications and conduct of the involved legal practitioners. The resolution of this case will have implications for the legal profession and the fight against corruption in the country.
Read the original article on DailyNigerian.com
