The National Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Prince I. Azubuike, has dissociated himself from statements and views attributed to him in a report concerning Nigerian lawyers who have been sanctioned for professional misconduct in the United States and the United Kingdom.
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Azubuike, in a Notice of Disclaimer dated September 23, 2026, said the publication did not accurately reflect the substance or context of his conversation with the reporter and asked members of the legal profession and the public to disregard statements attributed to him in the report.
The disclaimer followed a September 22 publication by Peoples Gazette titled, “Gbajabiamila, Ejimakor, Salis, Imasuen, other disgraced fraudulent Nigerian lawyers sanctioned in U.S., UK free to practise in Nigeria: NBA.” The report attributed a series of comments to Azubuike on the effect of foreign disciplinary sanctions on a lawyer’s right to practise in Nigeria.
“My attention has been drawn to a publication by People’s Gazette Magazine titled: ‘Gbajabiamila, Ejimakor, Salis, Imasuen, other disgraced fraudulent Nigerian lawyers sanctioned in U.S., UK free to practise in Nigeria: NBA,’” Azubuike said in the disclaimer.
He continued: “I wish to clarify that the publication, insofar as it attributes statements or views to me, does not accurately reflect the substance or context of my conversation with the reporter.”
Azubuike went further to expressly dissociate himself from the statements as presented and from conclusions drawn from them.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I did not make the statements attributed to me in the manner presented in the publication, and I therefore dissociate myself from those statements and from any interpretation or conclusion attributed to me,” he said.
He consequently advised lawyers and members of the public not to treat the statements contained in the publication as representing his personal position.
“Colleagues, members of the legal profession and the general public are accordingly advised to disregard any statement in the publication insofar as it is attributed to me or presented as representing my personal position,” the NBA spokesman stated.
He also expressed regret over any confusion generated by the publication and its subsequent circulation, pledging continued commitment to accurate and responsible communication.
“I regret any confusion or concern that may have arisen from the publication or its subsequent circulation. I remain committed to responsible communication and to ensuring that statements attributed to me are reported accurately and in their proper context,” he added.
The clarification came barely a day after Peoples Gazette published the report in which it quoted Azubuike as explaining that Nigerian lawyers holding licences in different jurisdictions would not automatically lose their Nigerian right to practise merely because disciplinary sanctions were imposed against them abroad.
Among the statements attributed to him was the explanation: “They had dual practice licences: one in the United States, one in the Nigerian Bar,” followed by the assertion that sanctions imposed in the United States did not automatically transfer to the Nigerian jurisdiction and that the affected lawyers remained duly called unless disciplinary measures were taken against them in Nigeria.
The publication further quoted Azubuike as saying foreign disciplinary findings could have serious reputational consequences, including affecting how lawyers are perceived by clients and colleagues, even where their Nigerian practising status remained unaffected.
He was also quoted as saying professional misconduct findings could raise character concerns and that the NBA needed to undertake further work on ethical and professional issues within the legal profession.
The report named Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, as well as Owolabi Salis, Aloysius Ejimakor and Senator Neda Imasuen, among lawyers it said had been affected by disciplinary proceedings abroad. It also catalogued separate disciplinary cases involving other Nigerian lawyers across different American jurisdictions.
The publication remains available on the newspaper’s website as of September 23.
Azubuike’s disclaimer, however, is specifically directed at statements, views, interpretations and conclusions attributed to him in the publication. The notice does not set out a replacement account of what he told the reporter, nor does it individually address the underlying foreign disciplinary records cited by the newspaper.
Under Nigeria’s legal disciplinary framework, complaints concerning the professional conduct of lawyers on the Nigerian Roll are dealt with through the country’s disciplinary machinery, particularly the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. Nigerian courts have consistently recognised the LPDC’s statutory role in determining allegations of professional misconduct against legal practitioners.
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