Disgraced and U.S.-adjudged fraudulent lawyers such as Femi Gbajabiamila, Owolabi Salis, Aloysius Ejimakor and Neda Imasuen are free to practise in Nigeria even though they carry a hefty reputational burden, the Nigerian Bar Association tells Peoples Gazette.
Mr Gbajabiamila is the chief of staff to President Bola Tinubu, who himself has a brush with the U.S. authorities over cocaine dealing.
NBA spokesperson Prince Azubuike described The Gazette’s exposé of Nigerian lawyers disbarred and suspended in the U.S. for several corrupt practices as “disturbing”. Messrs Salis, Ejimakor, and Imasuen are NBA members.
“They had dual practice licences: one in the United States, one in the Nigerian Bar. So, having been found guilty in the U.S. Bar and appropriate sanctions meted out to them, that does not transfer to the Nigerian situation. So they are still duly called, except another disciplinary measures will be carried out in view of that. But it doesn’t work that way when it comes to disciplinary issues. It’s local to the jurisdiction where that issue happened,” Mr Azubuike explained.
The NBA spokesperson said that although the disbarment and suspension of Nigerian lawyers abroad on the grounds of fraudulent activities and practices affects their reputation without affecting their licenses to practice in Nigeria, it rubs off on the country’s broader reputation and other citizens in the broader perspective.
“Generally, it will affect their character because it’s reputational. For you to have been found wanting in professional misconduct shows that there is a character deficit on your part. And it must disturb everybody, not just the legal profession, but every citizen,” the NBA spokesperson said. “For example, the chief of staff to the president had similar disciplinary issues in the U.S., but that didn’t affect his practice here in Nigeria. So as it concerns his practice in the U.S., yes, there is an issue with that, just like these names you mentioned. But here in Nigeria, no, it is not the same. The same applies to the Dental Council of Nigeria and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. Most of them that were having issues in other jurisdictions like the UK, disciplinary issues, it didn’t affect their practice as it concerns their profession here in Nigeria.”
Mr Azubuike, however, acknowledged the collateral damage.
“Again, it’s reputational. So if you now go to another jurisdiction and they raise the issue, you have a character issue or reputational issue in your former jurisdiction, it goes a long way to impact on your practice, how clients see you, how your colleagues in that other jurisdiction see you,” he explained. “It affects it, no doubt, but it doesn’t rob you of your practice in this jurisdiction. So these two distinctions must be clearly established, you know, recognised.”
According to the NBA spokesperson, no law compels or requires a lawyer to self-report any disciplinary action taken against him in a foreign jurisdiction to the NBA. He admitted that “the possibility of such a lawyer defrauding his Nigerian clients is also probable”.
“NBA will also need to do serious work with respect to ethical and professional issues in the legal profession,” stated Mr Azubuike.
In 2023, The Gazette reported how Mr Gbajabiamila’s law licence was terminated by the State Bar of Georgia in the U.S. over his corruption and ethical lapses. Mr Gbajabiamila admitted to stealing $25,000 from his client.
In 2025, The Gazette reported how Mr Imasuen, Edo South senator, masterminded a sprawling bank heist in the U.S. before fleeing to Nigeria to pursue a successful career in politics. New York disbarred Mr Imasuen for life after he swindled his client.
Mr Salis, a U.S.-based lawyer who gained global acclaim as the first Nigerian to travel to space on June 29, was indicted in 2023 and disbarred by the New York State Supreme Court over a myriad of complaints from clients who accused him of scamming them out of tens of thousands of dollars.
The Board of Immigration Appeals had also dismissed the disbarment appeal by Mr Salis for scamming immigration clients, exploiting their desperation to remain in the U.S. to fleece them of tens of thousands of dollars.