The Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has called on legal practitioners to exercise heightened vigilance and thoroughly scrutinise the sources of their clients’ wealth to prevent involvement in financial crimes.
Dr. Aliyu delivered the warning at a professional development seminar organised by the Kano State Chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association in the ancient city of Kano. The seminar, themed “New Anti-Money Laundering Obligations for Legal Practitioners: Implications for Ethical Law Practice and the ICPC’s Mandate”, aimed to enlighten lawyers on recent regulatory changes and their ethical responsibilities.
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Highlighting amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC), Dr. Aliyu stressed that solicitors are now explicitly required to report suspicious transactions and adopt legal safeguards to prevent their services from being exploited for terrorism financing or other illicit activities.
“Lawyers must be observant and analyse their clients very well before engagement,” Dr. Aliyu said. He emphasised that transactions involving property purchases, company formations, and dealings with public officials or individuals from high-risk regions demand enhanced due diligence.
The ICPC chairman also urged greater collaboration among Nigeria’s anti-graft and financial monitoring agencies. He proposed that the ICPC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML), and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) organise a nationwide sensitisation programme for the legal profession.
According to Dr. Aliyu, such an initiative would ensure consistent compliance with reporting rules, strengthen public confidence, and uphold the integrity of the legal profession.
