The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have filed charges against embattled Ilorin-based lawyer Sulaiman Toyin Yahaya for allegedly altering an extra-judicial statement made by his client who was being investigated by the commission.

In a “summary of statements of additional witnesses” obtained by CITY LAWYER, the commission has also lined up no less than four witnesses including one Peter Samuel, the lawyer’s client, against him.

The charge, Federal Republic of Nigeria versus Sulaiman Yahaya, is slated for trial at the Ilorin Judicial Division of Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.

According to the EFCC document, Samuel will testify “that after making his statement, his lawyer went through his statement and in the process of doing so helped him to add ‘not’ where he wrote fraudulent.”

While one Roberts Muyiwa would testify that he paid the sum of N120,000 to the lawyer to represent Peter Samuel, two EFCC operatives would testify how they investigated the case and how the lawyer allegedly “altered the statement” when the operatives were not paying attention.

CITY LAWYER recalls that several lawyers had clamoured for Yahaya’s release, even as foremost human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana SAN stated that he had secured the commission’s assurances that the embattled lawyer would be released yesterday. Yahaya was released yesterday.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Security Agencies Relations Committee (NBA-SARC), Mr. Chukwuka Ikwuazom SAN had hailed Yahaya’s release, adding that NBA-SARC worked tirelessly with various stakeholders, including the NBA Ilorin Branch leadership, to ensure compliance with a court order directing his immediate release.

The Chairman of the NBA Annual General Conference Planning Committee, Mazi Afam Osigwe SAN had in a strongly worded statement decried the “incessant harassment of lawyers by law enforcement agents in the course of rendering service to their clients,” warning that it “bodes ill for the society.”

He also warned that “This has indeed become a major threat to the legal profession,” and demanded that “The lawyer must be released forthwith. We must rise up to ensure this recklessness stops. Enough is enough.”

CITY LAWYER recalls that Yahaya has been in EFCC gulag since July 26, 2023 when he was detained by the commission, notwithstanding an August 3, 2023 order of the High Court of Kwara State, Ilorin Division directing the EFCC to release the applicant “forthwith and unconditionally.”

To join our CITY LAWYER ROUNDTABLE on WhatsApp, click here 

To join our Telegram platform, click here 

COPYRIGHT 2022 CITY LAWYER. Please send emails to citylawyermag@gmail.com. Join us on Facebook at https://web.facebook.com/City-Lawyer-Magazine-434937936684320 and on TWITTER at https://twitter.com/CityLawyerMag. To ADVERTISE in CITY LAWYER, please email citylawyermag@gmail.com or call 08138380083.

All materials available on this Website are protected by copyright, trade mark and other proprietary and intellectual property laws. You may not use any of our intellectual property rights without our express written consent or attribution to www.citylawyermag.com. However, you are permitted to print or save to your individual PC, tablet or storage extracts from this Website for your own personal non-commercial use.