War against Corruption: NBA Introduces Anti-money Laundering, Terrorism-financing Law to Practice

Alex Enumah in Abuja

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has stepped up the fight against corruption in the country by introducing anti- money laundering and terrorism financing law into the practice direction of lawyers in the country.

The law which would take effect from January 1, 2024, is part of efforts by the legal profession to take its rightful place in the development of the country.

National President of the NBA, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, disclosed this at the opening of the 2023 Nigeria Bar Association- Section on Legal Practice, NBA-SLP Annual Conference, holding in Abuja.

“The fight against corruption in Nigeria is a legal fight, only lawyers can fight this fight”, Maikyau said, just as he warned politicians to, “quit telling us that we are the ones in your ways”.

The NBA president subsequently disclosed that in enhancing the war on corruption, the NBA decided to add anti-money laundering law into the legal practice, adding that the law has been gazetted and would take effect from January 1, 2024.

“We will self-regulate ourselves and be at the vanguard against money laundering and terrorism financing”, he said, adding, “charting the course of Nigeria, building the country is the task of lawyers”.

Chairman of the Central Planning Committee for the 2023 annual conference, Paul Harris Ogbole, in a welcome urged participants to take advantage of the conference to deepen their knowledge of globalisation in the practice of law.

According to Ogbole, there exists varieties of opportunities for lawyers on the global scene, which would be unveiled at the conference for the benefit of lawyers.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the NBA-Section on Legal Practice, Chief Ferdinand Orbih, stated that the age of artificial intelligence has widened the legal space which lawyers should take advantage of.

The senior lawyer said the theme, “Legal Practice Without Borders,” was chosen to engage with global issues of transformation in the legal profession whose challenges were thrown up by medico-legal solutions to healthcare needs.

Orbih, added that, “The age of Artificial Intelligence (Al), the largely unexplored legal spaces, et al. ‘Legal Practice Without Borders’ interrogates the widening scope of the legal services market and lifts the veil of jurisdictional stonewalling.”