The Pivotal Role of A Lawyer in Combating Official Corruption in Nigeria

In the past ten years, Nigeria has remained at the apex of the international corruption index. Corruption has reached an epidemic level in Nigeria, its international trade obligations due to its dwindling foreign reserve. Public officials in the past have helped themselves with the pool of public funds without any repercussion the country has elevated the fight against corruption to a high point, however, there are irreconcilable contradictions in the mechanism of justice apportionment, which tend to neutralize any efforts of the government to bring justice to looters of the public coffers. One of such challenges is the conduct of members of the legal profession. This paper therefore examines the role of lawyers in combating corruption. It demonstrated how lawyers, including members of shield corrupt government officials from obtaining justice for corruption. The paper suggested ways in which the anticorruption crusade of the federal government will be improved th lawyers that prosecute offenders, defence counsel and the judges in Nigeria


The Pivotal Role of A Lawyer in Combating Official Corruption in Nigeria
Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus, Nigeria October 2016; Accepted 27 December 2016; Available online In the past ten years, Nigeria has remained at the apex of the international corruption index. Corruption has reached an epidemic level in Nigeria, finally bringing the country to its kneels as Nigeria cannot presently meet its international trade obligations due to its dwindling foreign reserve. Public officials in the past have helped themselves with the pool of public funds without any repercussion domestically. The present administration in the country has elevated the fight against corruption to a high point, however, there are irreconcilable contradictions in the mechanism of justice apportionment, which tend to neutralize any efforts of the rnment to bring justice to looters of the public coffers. One of such challenges is the conduct of members of the legal profession. This paper therefore examines the role of lawyers in combating corruption. It demonstrated how lawyers, including members of the bench (judges) have exploited the loopholes in the Nigerian system to shield corrupt government officials from obtaining justice for corruption. The paper suggested ways in which the anticorruption crusade of the federal government will be improved through the enhanced practices of lawyers that prosecute offenders, defence counsel and the judges in Nigeria. legal profession; anti-corruption; Nigeria. In the past ten years, Nigeria has remained at the apex of the international corruption index. Corruption has finally bringing the country to its kneels as Nigeria cannot presently meet its international trade obligations due to its dwindling foreign reserve. Public officials in the past have helped domestically. The present administration in the country has elevated the fight against corruption to a high point, however, there are irreconcilable contradictions in the mechanism of justice apportionment, which tend to neutralize any efforts of the rnment to bring justice to looters of the public coffers. One of such challenges is the conduct of members of the legal profession. This paper therefore examines the role of lawyers in combating corruption. It demonstrated the bench (judges) have exploited the loopholes in the Nigerian system to shield corrupt government officials from obtaining justice for corruption. The paper suggested ways in which rough the enhanced practices of

Introduction
The Corrupt Nigerian public officers are known to have fat foreign bank accounts even though they are statutorily prohibited from owning and operating such accounts public officers do not only siphon funds meant for the benefit of the entire citizenry to foreign countries, but such funds are usually disguised to preclude the discove sources, and applied either for the acquisition of property or other economic activities in such foreign countries. There is no doubt that the loss of such stolen resources through endemic corruption and abuse of office have had inimical effect on the economy of the country. These activities have created enormous distortions in the economic index and resulted in lack of control on monetary and fiscal policies since a large proportion of the funds are transferred erian economy. Not only do they impact negatively on the social and moral fabric of the society, they also affect the productive capacity of the economy and thus perpetuate the country's underdevelopment 5 .
The Nigerian state enacted the Independent and Corrupt Practices and Other related Offences Act and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission Act to deal official corruption and financial crimes both of which have undermined developmental efforts of government and impeding financial transactions locally and internationally. Curiously, more than a decade of the implementation of the said laws, corruption appears to have assumed a more devastating dimension. The question therefore, is why have we got it wrong?
The arrest in 2004 in London of the Plateau state Governor, Joshua Dariye 1 and that of D. S. P. Alamaieyeseigha, who was impeached as Bayelsa state Governor in 2005 2 seriously dented the corporate image of Nigeria in the international corruption index 3 . These two incidents together with the arrest and conviction in Nigeria of the former Inspector General of Police, TafaBalogun for money laundering and Sundry offences not only show the extent of corruption in the country, but dramatically brought to the centre-stage the Corrupt Nigerian public officers are known to have fat foreign bank accounts even though they are statutorily prohibited from owning and operating such accounts 4 . These public officers do not only siphon funds meant for the benefit of the entire citizenry to foreign countries, but such funds are usually disguised to preclude the discovery of their actual sources, and applied either for the acquisition of property or other economic activities in such foreign countries. There is no doubt that the loss of such stolen resources through endemic effect on the economy of the country. These activities have created enormous distortions in the economic index and resulted in lack of control on monetary and fiscal policies since a large proportion of the funds are transferred erian economy. Not only do they impact negatively on the social and moral fabric of the society, they also affect the productive capacity of the economy and rupt Practices and Other related Offences Act and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission Act to deal official corruption and financial crimes both of which have undermined developmental efforts of and internationally. Curiously, more than a decade of the implementation of the said laws, corruption appears to have assumed a more devastating dimension. The question therefore, is why have we got it wrong? This paper therefore sets out to x fight against corruption and corrupt practices using the legal instruments at their disposal.
Recently the Nigerian President, AlhajiMuhammaduBuhari is quoted as saying that his fight against corruption is being imped reactions from many quarters, particularly, the apex body for lawyers and the Judiciary. It is against this background that concerted efforts must be made to ensure that this cankerworm does not continue to infect and spread its unhealthy tentacles in the country. This brings to the fore the fundamental role of law as a malleable regulatory mechanism that can effectively be used in the fight against these menaces. The crucial question then is, to w institution and other stakeholders saddled with the responsibility for interpreting the laws prepared and equipped in the discharge of this enormous task?
This paper therefore examines the role the legal profession as the major stakehol the administration of justice should play in the fight against corruption using the instrumentality of the law.

The Challenge before the Legal Profession
The present administration predicated its change mantra on fight against corruption with a view to strengthening public institutions.

The Pivotal Role of A Lawyer in Combating Official Corruption in Nigeria
This paper therefore sets out to x-ray the role of lawyers (Judges inclusive) in the fight against corruption and corrupt practices using the legal instruments at their disposal.
Recently the Nigerian President, AlhajiMuhammaduBuhari is quoted as saying that his fight against corruption is being impeded by the judiciary. 6 This statement has generated a lot of reactions from many quarters, particularly, the apex body for lawyers and the Judiciary. It is against this background that concerted efforts must be made to ensure that this cankerworm ontinue to infect and spread its unhealthy tentacles in the country. This brings to the fore the fundamental role of law as a malleable regulatory mechanism that can effectively be used in the fight against these menaces. The crucial question then is, to w institution and other stakeholders saddled with the responsibility for interpreting the laws prepared and equipped in the discharge of this enormous task?
This paper therefore examines the role the legal profession as the major stakehol the administration of justice should play in the fight against corruption using the

the Legal Profession
The present administration predicated its change mantra on fight against corruption view to strengthening public institutions. For instance, a recent statement credited to the Vice President of Nigeria noted that the immediate past administration in the country misappropriated huge sums of money, proceeds of crude oil sales in the last te any visible evidence of improvement in infrastructure. 7 The misappropriation was markedlyevident in the diversion of resources appropriated for purchase of weapons for the

Armed Forces to fight the Boko Haram insurgencyin what is now known
There is consensus among policymakers and indeed, both domestic and international experts that the present decadence in terms of the corruption index in Nigeria must be confronted by the strengthening of governmental institutions, especially the judiciary and the bar (body of lawyers and political atmosphere in Nigeria, they must take into cognizance the nation's abysmal performance in the international corruption index in handling corruption cases brought before them. Indeed, because Nigeria is a co citizens are bound by the provisions of the constitution, which is supreme.
who hold government offices and exercise governmental power must do so within the confines of constitutional provisions, for the welfare and prosperity of the people.
such persons rather convert the common good or public fund into their personal use, it becomes doubtful if governance is operated in accordance with the rule of law, especially the constitution. The inability of the system to hold people accountable in turn creates impunity among the managers and administrators of scarce resources.
become an instrument in the hands of those occupying them to plunder and share state resources amongst themselves in complete disregard of the common good and wellbeing of the people as it has happened in the past few years in Nigeria, the constitution and other laws are certainly undermined.  hand, invokes the exercise of judicial powers to enforce the constitution and other laws in cases they conduct in courts. Lawyers are specifically trained to administer the rule of law and therefore, they are exclusively entitled to the license and privileges of law practice. The society expects that they will function as advocates of the rule of law.
Thus, we shall examine the role of lawyers as prosecutors, defence counsel and judges in criminal cases involving corruption and other related crimes.
of lawyers as prosecutors. Their duties include: a. to prosecute and not persecute, b. give honest, objective and legally sound pre ensure that the pre-trial criminal processes are fair and produce facts that disclose a good case against the accused.

The Pivotal Role of A Lawyer in Combating Official Corruption in Nigeria
At the onset of the present administration, which came into office in May 2015, the issue of corruption featured prominently on top of government priorities in a change mantra.
Government efforts have since been refocused on eliminating the menace in the social and political life of Nigeria. However, as noted above, one of the key instrument for the fight against corruption, the judiciary, including the bar has in the past, connived with looters of the public treasurer to sustain the vicious circle of corruption in Nigeria. Therefore, for the against corruption to succeed, the legal profession including the bar and the bench must be restructured to introduce new procedural and substantive laws to regulate the  f. to be diligent, honest, dispassionate, zealous and fair in the prosecution of the case.
g. to assist the court in doing substantial justice in the case.
h. to prevent the trial from being frustrated by any abuse of court process and the dilatory tactics of the defe i. to pursue and be committed to an expeditious trial of the case.
j. to ensure that the public expectation of legitimate law enforcement is not defeated.
k. to scrupulously adhere to the ethics regulating the Professional conduct of members of the legal profession.
l. Not to compromise or undermine the efficient prosecution of the case.
Defence advocates are generally private lawyers. As defencecounsel, the lawyer must bear in mind that as a member of the legal profession, he has a threefold duty to his client and the society at large. 20 As counsel in a criminal case, he has the duty to assert his client's position using his best endeavors to explore all lawful defences available to his client on available facts. However, the scope of this duty to his a. Saving or rescuing his client from the law.
b. Devising all kinds of tactics to kill the case, including the filing of suits to change aspects of the pre-trial criminal process to disrupt and frustrate the pre and pre-empt the ensuing trial process. A defence counsel is an officer of the court as well as an officer of the legal system and so has a special responsibility to participate objectively and honestly in the adversarial truth searching process as well as assist the court in the expeditious trial of the case. He must also guide the court honestly and properly on the applicable law and assist the court in 20 The famous dictum of Oputa JSC in the case of case of to ensure that only cases with facts that show prima facie case are brought to court.
to be well equipped with good knowledge of all laws relating to the case, good research writing and criminal pleading skills.
to diligently and painstakingly prepare the charge and other processes to commence be diligent, honest, dispassionate, zealous and fair in the prosecution of the case.
to assist the court in doing substantial justice in the case.
to prevent the trial from being frustrated by any abuse of court process and the dilatory tactics of the defence.
to pursue and be committed to an expeditious trial of the case.
to ensure that the public expectation of legitimate law enforcement is not defeated.
to scrupulously adhere to the ethics regulating the Professional conduct of members ession.
Not to compromise or undermine the efficient prosecution of the case.
Defence advocates are generally private lawyers. As defencecounsel, the lawyer must bear in mind that as a member of the legal profession, he has a threefold duty to his client As counsel in a criminal case, he has the duty to assert his client's position using his best endeavors to explore all lawful defences available to his client on available facts. However, the scope of this duty to his client does not include: Saving or rescuing his client from the law.
Devising all kinds of tactics to kill the case, including the filing of suits to change trial criminal process to disrupt and frustrate the pre empt the ensuing trial process.
Exploiting the rules of court meant to facilitate the expeditious disposal of the case, to delay and frustrate the trial of the case.
Engaging in fabrication of facts and advising his client to lie.
ge and acquittal of his client by all means and at all cost Corrupt influence of the prosecutor or judge to compromise the justice of the case.
A defence counsel is an officer of the court as well as an officer of the legal system onsibility to participate objectively and honestly in the adversarial truth searching process as well as assist the court in the expeditious trial of the case. He must also guide the court honestly and properly on the applicable law and assist the court in se are brought to court.
to be well equipped with good knowledge of all laws relating to the case, good to diligently and painstakingly prepare the charge and other processes to commence be diligent, honest, dispassionate, zealous and fair in the prosecution of the case.
to prevent the trial from being frustrated by any abuse of court process and the to ensure that the public expectation of legitimate law enforcement is not defeated.
to scrupulously adhere to the ethics regulating the Professional conduct of members Not to compromise or undermine the efficient prosecution of the case.
Defence advocates are generally private lawyers. As defencecounsel, the lawyer must bear in mind that as a member of the legal profession, he has a threefold duty to his client, the court As counsel in a criminal case, he has the duty to assert his client's position using his best endeavors to explore all lawful defences available to his client on client does not include: Devising all kinds of tactics to kill the case, including the filing of suits to change trial criminal process to disrupt and frustrate the pre-trial process Exploiting the rules of court meant to facilitate the expeditious disposal of the case, to ge and acquittal of his client by all means and at all cost Corrupt influence of the prosecutor or judge to compromise the justice of the case.
A defence counsel is an officer of the court as well as an officer of the legal system onsibility to participate objectively and honestly in the adversarial truth searching process as well as assist the court in the expeditious trial of the case. He must also guide the court honestly and properly on the applicable law and assist the court in (1985) 1 NWLR 125.

Review Article
The Pivotal Role of A Lawyer in Combating Official Corruption in Nigeria James Ushie Ebuara ensuring that substantial justice is done, avoid doing anything that will disrepute the court in the expeditious trial of the case, and not to delay and frustrate or out rightly prevent the trial.
He must adhere strictly to the ethics of the profession as professional conduct.
As members of the legal profession, lawyers are public citizens who enjoy tremendous amount of public trust and confidence from the people who expect them to use their knowledge and skills to ensure tha the rights of the accused are observed, and that trial outcomes meet the objective of protection of the society. One of the major causes of impunity for crimes of corruption in government is that defence lawyers neglected their duties to the court and the society and conducted their clients' case beyond the legal limits of their duty to their client. They approach the discharge of their client from the law and not as a defence to the allegations of facts against him.
It is obvious that most private practitioners adopt the Henry Lord Brougham's notion that a lawyer should, "know no one but his client".
words, he was speaking in direct response to the notion that he, as defence counsel for Queen c. Devising all kinds of dilatory tactics to kill the case.
d. Exploiting the rules of court to delay and frustrate the trial of the case. 21 Ibid. 22 Ibid.

The Pivotal Role of A Lawyer in Combating Official Corruption in Nigeria
ensuring that substantial justice is done, avoid doing anything that will disrepute the court in the expeditious trial of the case, and not to delay and frustrate or out rightly prevent the trial.
He must adhere strictly to the ethics of the profession as provided for in the rules of As members of the legal profession, lawyers are public citizens who enjoy tremendous amount of public trust and confidence from the people who expect them to use their knowledge and skills to ensure that the aims of law enforcement are not defeated, that the rights of the accused are observed, and that trial outcomes meet the objective of protection of the society. One of the major causes of impunity for crimes of corruption in e lawyers neglected their duties to the court and the society and conducted their clients' case beyond the legal limits of their duty to their client. They approach the discharge of their client-advocate duty as a mission to rescue or save their client m the law and not as a defence to the allegations of facts against him.
It is obvious that most private practitioners adopt the Henry Lord Brougham's notion that a lawyer should, "know no one but his client". 21 When Lord Brougham uttered these as speaking in direct response to the notion that he, as defence counsel for Queen Devising all kinds of dilatory tactics to kill the case.
Exploiting the rules of court to delay and frustrate the trial of the case.

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ensuring that substantial justice is done, avoid doing anything that will disrepute the court in the expeditious trial of the case, and not to delay and frustrate or out rightly prevent the trial. The duty of the lawyer is to save his client by all means and at whatever cost and hazards to notion, some practitioners adopt empting the initiation of criminal case against their clients by filing fundamental rights enforcement applications purporting to challenge the procedure of their clients' and contending that there is no reasonable basis for their clients' Obtaining injunctions to prevent the prosecution of their client who were involved in corrupt practices involving stupendous sums of money. But the main object of filing such applications is to forestall the impending criminal case against their clients.
Exploiting the rules of court to delay and frustrate the trial of the case.
e. Exercising the right to fair hear of their clients.
f. Fabricating facts and advising their clients to lie.
g. Overriding their client's decision to admit to the charge against him and setting up a false defence.
h. Initiating and negotiating part of the stolen money.
i. Helping their client to hide the stolen funds from the reach of the investigating agency.
j. Filing appeals against every of their pre to delay and frustrate the trial process.
k. Influencing judges to compromise the justice of the case.
l. Harassing, intimidating and blackmailing the judge who refuses to be influenced and insists on the expeditious disposal of the case.
The lawyer as judge presiding over a criminal case or any case, involving allegation of corruption by holders of public office has the duty to: a. Ensure that the trial of a corruption case reflects the objectives of the relevant statute under which an accused is society.
b. Ensure that the trial is fair and both the prosecution and defence have equal arms.
c. Ensure that public expectation of legitimate law enforcement is not defeated.
d. Be fully committed to the pace of the proceedings and not allow any party dictate the pace of the proceedings.
e. Ensure that the trial of the case is not delayed and frustrated by the abuse of court process or the abuse of the exercise of the right of fair hearing and filibustering.
f. Avoid the issuance of injunctions to prohibit or prevent the investigation and prosecution of persons reasonably suspected of committing an offence. Exercising the right to fair hearing in such a manner as to delay and frustrate the trial Fabricating facts and advising their clients to lie.
Overriding their client's decision to admit to the charge against him and setting up a Initiating and negotiating plea bargains that enable their clients to keep a substantial part of the stolen money.
Helping their client to hide the stolen funds from the reach of the investigating Filing appeals against every of their pre-trial applications and on interloc to delay and frustrate the trial process.
Influencing judges to compromise the justice of the case.
Harassing, intimidating and blackmailing the judge who refuses to be influenced and insists on the expeditious disposal of the case. 23 lawyer as judge presiding over a criminal case or any case, involving allegation of corruption by holders of public office has the duty to: Ensure that the trial of a corruption case reflects the objectives of the relevant statute under which an accused is charged in the particular case and the broad objectives of Ensure that the trial is fair and both the prosecution and defence have equal arms.
Ensure that public expectation of legitimate law enforcement is not defeated.
Be fully committed to the expeditious trial of the case by having a firm control of the pace of the proceedings and not allow any party dictate the pace of the proceedings.
Ensure that the trial of the case is not delayed and frustrated by the abuse of court f the exercise of the right of fair hearing and filibustering.
Avoid the issuance of injunctions to prohibit or prevent the investigation and prosecution of persons reasonably suspected of committing an offence.
Ensure an expeditious trial and determination of the case.
Not allow the use of court processes to disrupt and frustrate the pre processes those are lawfully carried out by the competent law enforcement agencies, such as investigation, arrest, detention, searches and obtaining of wri  ing in such a manner as to delay and frustrate the trial Overriding their client's decision to admit to the charge against him and setting up a plea bargains that enable their clients to keep a substantial Helping their client to hide the stolen funds from the reach of the investigating trial applications and on interlocutory issues Harassing, intimidating and blackmailing the judge who refuses to be influenced and lawyer as judge presiding over a criminal case or any case, involving allegation Ensure that the trial of a corruption case reflects the objectives of the relevant statute charged in the particular case and the broad objectives of Ensure that the trial is fair and both the prosecution and defence have equal arms.
Ensure that public expectation of legitimate law enforcement is not defeated.
expeditious trial of the case by having a firm control of the pace of the proceedings and not allow any party dictate the pace of the proceedings.
Ensure that the trial of the case is not delayed and frustrated by the abuse of court f the exercise of the right of fair hearing and filibustering.
Avoid the issuance of injunctions to prohibit or prevent the investigation and prosecution of persons reasonably suspected of committing an offence.
Not allow the use of court processes to disrupt and frustrate the pre-trial criminal processes those are lawfully carried out by the competent law enforcement agencies, such as investigation, arrest, detention, searches and obtaining of written statements International Journal of  (Abuja, 2015). pp. 2-5.

The Pivotal Role of A Lawyer in Combating Official Corruption in Nigeria
Ensure that the trial process takes into account the very serious nature of the crime and its effect on the welfare of the society.
Properly exercise his discretion in granting or refusing to grant bail pending trial. As held in the Supreme Court case of Abacha v. State 24 that the trial court has the discretion to refuse bail if the court is satisfied that there are substantial grounds for believing that applicant for bail pending trial would abscond, or interfere with nesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice. The conditions for granting or refusing bail were expanded in Dokubo-Asariv. Ensure that the trial process takes into account the very serious nature of the crime Properly exercise his discretion in granting or refusing to grant bail pending trial. As that the trial court has the discretion to refuse bail if the court is satisfied that there are substantial grounds for believing that applicant for bail pending trial would abscond, or interfere with nesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice. The conditions for granting or to include (i) the nature of the charge (ii) the strength of the evidence (iii) the severity of the punishment (iv) crime ecord of the accused (v) the likelihood that the accused may jump bail (vi) the capacity of the accused to suppress evidence (vii) the probability of guilt of the e his discretion in resolving conflicts between the two democratic values of public interest and the accused's fundamental right to personal liberty and privacy. These include ensuring that where there is reasonable ing a crime, public expectation of legitimate law enforcement is not defeated by freeing the person and ensuring that the accused's right to personal liberty and privacy are not violated during arrest, detention or that in most cases, the judges did not observe and Many cases were easily frustrated by undue delay in the trial processes caused by the abusive use of procedural rules of court, lengthy and unjustified Some judges allowed pretrial processes to be disputed and delayed or frustrated by the abusive use of the process to trial processes, such as investigation, search, arrest, detention, and taking of written statements. Thus, in Nigeria, once a person is suspected of having stolen public fund or abused his office in a manner that is inimical to the interest of In the few cases that have been tried to conclusion in Nigeria, upon conviction, the judges impose sentences without regard to trial principles of punishment in criminal law which requires that sentences must circumstances of the case and the impact of the offence on the wellbeing of society.
effect of such sentencing pattern on the part of judges is to make a mockery of the entire trial process and deceive the public that the accused has been tried and punished.
glaringly amount to helping the convict escape proper accountability for his crime against the people. At the same time, these judgments often fail to recover and restore th funds thereby allowing the culprits to benefit from the proceeds of their wrongdoing while leaving the people who are the victims of crime without justice.
prosecutor, the defence counsel and the judge to discharge their process in respect of corruption cases in Nigeria is responsible for the failed prosecution and society, he rushes to court to file a suit challenging the pre-trial process and seeking to stop it.
Such suits are an abuse of process. The effect is that they disrupt and out rightly frustrate the trial processes by their delayed and protracted hearing and determination. In fact, some of e issuance of glaringly unjustified injunctions permanently stopping trial process and prosecution of persons reasonably suspected of having committed an offence. 2930 The issuance of an injunction to prevent the investigation or earch or arrest and detention of a person reasonably suspected of committing an offence or the prosecution of such a person for the offence is an abuse of judicial power that disrepute the court and the due administration of criminal law. It arouses in the public the feeling of In the few cases that have been tried to conclusion in Nigeria, upon conviction, the judges impose sentences without regard to trial principles of punishment in criminal law which requires that sentences must have regard to the accused, the nature of the offence, the circumstances of the case and the impact of the offence on the wellbeing of society.
effect of such sentencing pattern on the part of judges is to make a mockery of the entire trial d deceive the public that the accused has been tried and punished.
glaringly amount to helping the convict escape proper accountability for his crime against the people. At the same time, these judgments often fail to recover and restore th funds thereby allowing the culprits to benefit from the proceeds of their wrongdoing while leaving the people who are the victims of crime without justice. 33  It should be noted that the unethical practices and obviously unreasonable decisions in cases of public office corruption by members of the legal profession have created the pervasive impunity and kleptocracy in the country. Having created this unpleasant situation that has glaringly endangered the well lawyers must collectively work towards adhering to ethical standards in the profession, especially in criminal cases. They must adopt the best ethical practices that would facilitate expeditious, fair and just trial of corruption cases in order to change the wide h perception that they connive with perpetrators and beneficiaries of the menace. The right of a citizen of a country to benefit from the country's resources is the most important of all his rights. 45

Conclusion
Nigeria is ranked among the most corrupt nations in the world.
as well as the public suffer a great deal of discomfort on this unenviable status to which our nation has deteriorated. Political leaders over the years paid lip service to eliminating corruption. The present leadership has however, vowed to deal decisively with corruption and corrupt practices. The crucial question we have attempted to answer in this paper is what role the legal profession has to play in the renewed effort at eliminating corruption. The paper found that members of the legal profession have been implicated in many corruption cases in Nigeria and that this happened because lawyers including judges have fa ethical standards in the profession while the mechanism of enforcement of these standards is lacking. The paper therefore suggested new practices which members of the legal profession must implement in dealing with cases involving officia of the roles of the prosecutor, the defence counsel and the judge. Indeed, the paper concludes that the anti-corruption crusade of the present government would not succeed if the conduct and practices of members of th suggestions of the paper.

The Pivotal Role of A Lawyer in Combating Official Corruption in Nigeria
Nigeria is ranked among the most corrupt nations in the world. Their as well as the public suffer a great deal of discomfort on this unenviable status to which our ed. Political leaders over the years paid lip service to eliminating corruption. The present leadership has however, vowed to deal decisively with corruption and corrupt practices. The crucial question we have attempted to answer in this paper is what role the legal profession has to play in the renewed effort at eliminating corruption. The paper found that members of the legal profession have been implicated in many corruption cases in Nigeria and that this happened because lawyers including judges have fa ethical standards in the profession while the mechanism of enforcement of these standards is lacking. The paper therefore suggested new practices which members of the legal profession must implement in dealing with cases involving official corruption in Nigeria in the context of the roles of the prosecutor, the defence counsel and the judge. Their political leaders as well as the public suffer a great deal of discomfort on this unenviable status to which our ed. Political leaders over the years paid lip service to eliminating corruption. The present leadership has however, vowed to deal decisively with corruption and corrupt practices. The crucial question we have attempted to answer in this paper is what role the legal profession has to play in the renewed effort at eliminating corruption. The paper found that members of the legal profession have been implicated in many corruption cases in Nigeria and that this happened because lawyers including judges have failed to adhere to ethical standards in the profession while the mechanism of enforcement of these standards is lacking. The paper therefore suggested new practices which members of the legal profession l corruption in Nigeria in the context of the roles of the prosecutor, the defence counsel and the judge. Indeed, the paper concludes