Tobias Sylvester
Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 47-year-old fake lawyer, Tajudeen Idris, while parading himself as a legal practitioner at Magistrates’ Court 6 in the Ifo Local Government Area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who disclosed this in a statement, said the suspect was arrested on Friday when he appeared before Chief Magistrate I. A. Arogundade in a civil case between one Ifeanyi Chuckwu and Ayo Itori.
At the court, the suspect was said to have claimed to be a legal counsel from Tajudeen O. Idris & Co Chamber, representing one of the parties.
Oyeyemi said the suspected fake lawyer’s conduct and his manner of presentation before the chief magistrate aroused suspicion about his qualification as a lawyer.
The Police spokesman said the suspect’s action prompted the chief magistrate to ask him for the year he was called to the bar, which he claimed to be 2009.
“But further enquiry revealed that his name was nowhere to be found among those called to the bar in 2009, hence the police were invited.
“Consequently, the DPO, Ifo Division, CSP Adeniyi Adekunle, detailed his operatives to the scene, where the suspect was apprehended and he is currently undergoing investigation.”
The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, had expressed concern over the increase in the number of fake lawyers swindling people of their hard-earned money.
Ajogun recalled that not less than five cases of fake lawyers had been reported since his assumption of office less than two months ago.
KanyiDaily had also reported how a fake lawyer identified as Oluwagbenga Adedeji was sentenced to three years in prison after he was arrested while representing a client in Ogun State Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Itori, Ewekoro Local Government Area of the state.
