By Editor

*Convicted on two-count charge and sentenced to 6 months in Prison with an option of fine. *NBA Ikere Branch Chairman declares resolve to rid branch of fake lawyers.

An Ekiti State magistrates’ court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital has sentenced one Abayomi Kayode to 6 months imprisonment for parading himself as a lawyer in the state.

The defendant was convicted after the Ikere branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) petitioned the police over his activities in the state, where he was using a forged lawyer’s seal and claimed to have graduated from the Ekiti State University, which was proved to be false.

In a judgment delivered on Friday, the magistrate, I. T Ola-Olorun held that the accused was found guilty on a two-count charge with an option to pay a fine of N50,000 respectively.

Counsel to the defendant, Tope Salami had earlier pleaded that the court be considerate with his client since he pleaded guilty and showed remorse.

Responding to the court judgment, the NBA Chairman, Ikere Branch, Kike Owolabi said that the fake lawyer remained a convict despite the fact he was given an option of a fine.

She said that he was identified as a fake lawyer through intelligence reports, noting that it has served as an eye-opener to the noble legal profession.

Owolabi said, ” He pleaded guilty to the charges and admitted that he was a fake lawyer. The court convicted him with the option of a fine, although he paid. He remains an ex-convict as of today.

“We got to know through some intelligence reports but I met him about three months ago and we have been tracking him down.

“This is an eye-opener to us that some individuals can impersonate our profession.”

According to her, measures have been taken to curb such occurrences in the future in a bid to protect the profession from quacks.

Owolabi said, ” As Ikere branch of NBA, we have decided to open a call log register for all of our members. Each of the Associates is to take details of our lawyers and verify their certificates to ensure that no one impersonates the legal profession.

“We intend to extend that to other branches in Ekiti to ensure that we rid the profession of fake lawyers.”