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‘NBA cleared disrobed silk, Kunle Ogunba, of alleged professional misconduct’

By Joseph Onyekwere
16 January 2018   |   4:18 am
The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) earlier cleared a lawyer, Mr. Kunle Ogunba, whose rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria was last week withdrawn...

Kunle Ogunba

The Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) earlier cleared a lawyer, Mr. Kunle Ogunba, whose rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria was last week withdrawn by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) over allegations of professional misconduct, the Guardian has learnt.

Honeywell Group, who also authored the one that LPPC used in sanctioning the lawyer, wrote the petition to the NBA.

The LPPC, in a statement last Thursday signed by its Secretary and Registrar of the Supreme Court, Hadizatu Mustapha, announced the withdrawal of Ogunba’s rank and privileges based on a petition by Honeywell Group.

LPPC said: “The misconduct alleged consists of the institution of multiplicity of proceedings before different judges of the Federal High Court on the same subject with the deliberate aim of abusing the process of court and derailing the course of justice.

“After a thorough investigation of the petition by the sub-committee set up by the LPPC (at which the respondent was given a fair hearing), it was decided that the petition is meritorious.

“Consequently, the LPPC at its 129th plenary meeting have withdrawn the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria from Kunle Ogunba Esq and other privileges attached to the rank forthwith.”

The LPPC also announced that a lawyer, Oluwatoyin Bashorun, has been barred from applying for the rank for three years for allegedly staying in a rented apartment “for nine years without paying rent”.

However, the NBA, in its August 5, 2016 response to Honeywell Group’s petition against Ogunba, signed by its then General Secretary Mazi Afam Osigwe, said it would not refer him to its Disciplinary Committee.

“We regret to inform you that a careful reading of the petition failed to disclose any alleged infraction of the Rules of Professional Conduct 2007 in respect of which Mr. Kunle Ogunba (SAN) could be called upon to offer an explanation.

“It is a principle of law that companies are separate legal entities capable of suing and being sued.

“Placing this principle side by side your allegation of abuse of court process, we are satisfied the cases referred to as well as the court processes attached by your good-selves failed to show the existence of a case involving same parties in respect of same facts and seeking same reliefs,” NBA had concluded.

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