Disciplinary Committee Bars Ben Mene-Ejegi From Practising

Determined to sensitise and get rid of quackery and unwholesome practices in the legal profession, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), an organ of the Body of Benchers, sitting in Appeal Court, Abuja, has barred a legal practitioner, Mr Ben Mene-Ejegi from practising and parading himself as a legal practitioner, while Sepiribo Peters was exonerated of similar charges in a separate proceedings.
The proceedings presided over by J. B. Daudu (SAN) with four other members including the Chief Judge of Delta State, Justice Marshal Umukoro, Justice of Appeal Court, Justice Abdu Aboki, E.C. Ukala (SAN) and Tijjani Inuwa-Dutse found the respondent guilty.
Mr. Mene-Ejegi was found guilty of two counts of receiving the sum of N1, 600,000.00 (One Million Six Hundred Thousand Naira) by false pretence from one Tosan Olukpe as purchase price for parcel of land in Warri which did not belong to him, and refused to return same after repeated demands thereby conducting himself in an infamous manner contrary to Rule 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct 2007 and punishable under Section 12 (1) of the Legal Practitioners Act, Cap. L 11 LFN 2004, as amended.
The respondent who pleaded not guilty to both counts argued that he transacted the sale of land in his capacity as a vendor and not as a legal practitioner, maintaining that he issued an acknowledge receipt for the sale of land in his letterhead paper does not change his capacity from being a vendor to that of a legal practitioner.
He added that he had not breached any rule of professional conduct as no law forbade him as a lawyer from selling his land or any property connected to him.
On the contrary, the complainant, through the Nigerian Bar Association, submitted that the sale of land, issuance of receipt of law office of the respondent and the deception of the entire transaction was achieved because the respondent masqueraded in the toga of legal practitioner thereby using the office to lend the veneer of trust and respectability.
The complainant therefore urged the Committee to find the respondent liable for conduct unbecoming of a legal practitioner, especially considering his refusal to comply with the initial soft landing offered by the investigation panel of the NBA, that is, respondent should refund petitioner’s money within 14 days.
After citing copious statutory and judicial authorities, the LPDC held the respondent liable in the two counts and directed the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to strike the name of the respondent off the roll of legal practitioners, and cease from carrying on the trade or business of a legal practitioner.
The Committee further ordered the respondent to refund within 30 days from the day of the order to the petitioner, Mr Tosan Olukpe, the sum of #1,600,000.00.
The Committee also directed that its decision should be brought to the attention of the respondent by service on him personally or at his last known address the proceedings of the Committee, and by publication in any edition of the Punch Newspaper and in the Federal Gazette as required by law.

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