Impersonation Of A Legal Practitioner In Nigeria: Is The Law Adequate?
Abstract:Impersonation is one of the greatest challenges bedevilling the legal profession in Nigeria. In recent times, some persons were arrested, tried, convicted and punished either by sentence to certain terms of imprisonment or an option of a fine for the offence of impersonation of legal practitioner. The ugly trend is on the increase rapidly in spite of the many efforts aimed at containing it. The conviction and the attendant penalty ordinarily supposed to serve as a deterrent, but the reverse is the case in Nigeria. This article aimed at examining the growing trend of impersonation of legal practitioners and the possible reasons behind it in Nigeria. The paper adopted and employed doctrinal research methodology to collate data. It was found that one of the major reasons for the rapid increase in the impersonation of legal practitioners is the inadequacy of the law in this regard, particularly with respect to punishment. For instance, by virtue of section 22 (1) of the Legal Practitioner Act, the maximum term of imprisonment that may be imposed on a person found guilty of impersonation is two years or a fine of two hundred naira. It is against this backdrop that this paper recommended that the Legal Practitioner Act should be amended to provide stricter and tougher sanctions like 10 years minimum terms of imprisonment, fine of five million naira among others. This will serve as a deterrent and reduce to the barest minimum the incidence of impersonation of legal practitioners in Nigeria.
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