The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has suspended Abuja-based lawyer George Eugene Halliday from legal practice for four years, deeming his relentless harassment of a court official and baseless fraud allegations a “gross violation” of professional ethics that tarnished the bar’s reputation.
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The ruling, handed down on May 13, 2025, in Abuja by Hon. Justice Halima I. Abdulmalik, Chief Judge of Niger State, stemmed from a petition by Mrs. Christy Noel Haruna, Deputy Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal. The LPDC, chaired by Hon. Justice Dr. Ishaq Bello, OFR, FNIALS, with members including Hon. Justice O.O. Daniel-Kalio, OFR (PJCA), Hon. Justice Halima I. Abdulmalik, Dr. Ben Uruchi Odoh (Attorney-General, Ebonyi State), and Deelis Bemsen Mnyim, Esq. (Attorney-General, Benue State), found Halliday guilty under Rules 1, 3(b), and 30 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners. These rules mandate lawyers to uphold the rule of law, preserve decorum, and avoid obstructing justice.
The saga originated from a 2017 garnishee proceeding pitting Halliday against Wema Bank Plc. The Court of Appeal directed Wema Bank to deposit ₦50 million into an interest-yielding account held by the Deputy Chief Registrar, then Mrs. Haruna, for safekeeping. On May 18, 2018, Haruna faithfully executed the order, depositing five manager’s cheques from Wema Bank into the court’s Zenith Bank account.
Halliday, however, alleged the cheques were dud and leveled explosive accusations of fraudulent conversion against Haruna, Wema Bank, and Adekola Mustapha, SAN. Undeterred by facts, he bombarded multiple authorities with petitions to the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the National Assembly, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the President of the Court of Appeal, and others. These claims, marked as case BB/LPDC/1213/2023, painted a picture of systemic corruption without evidence.
Probes by the ICPC and Nigeria Police Force swiftly cleared Haruna. A police report dated November 11, 2022, pinned blame on Wema Bank for the dud cheques but fully exonerated the Deputy Chief Registrar of any criminality, stating that “The Deputy Chief Registrar was exonerated of any criminal liability.”
Undaunted, Halliday escalated his vendetta, bombarding Haruna with threatening text and WhatsApp messages. In a particularly audacious move, he inked a “Facilitation Agreement” with five non-lawyers, dangling a ₦20 million bounty, 40 percent of any recovered judgment sum, if they aided his pursuit. The LPDC branded this pact “an egregious act of misconduct,” especially since the Court of Appeal had nullified the original garnishee order in November 2021, eliminating Halliday’s entitlements.
Drawing on unassailable evidence, including police reports, communication logs, and the voided court order, the LPDC lambasted Halliday’s tactics as “persistent harassment, false accusations, and engagement of non-lawyers to pursue financial recovery.” Citing the Supreme Court’s landmark Iteogu v. LPDC (2009) LPELR 1559 (SC), the panel affirmed that “Any conduct that brings the legal profession into disrepute constitutes misconduct.” Halliday, called to the Bar in 2009 (enrollment SCN069530), offered no viable defense, sealing his fate.
The committee’s directive was unequivocal: “The Respondent be and is hereby suspended from the Roll of Legal Practitioners for a period of four years from the date of this Direction.” The Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court must annotate the Roll accordingly and alert key figures, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Court of Appeal President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and Attorneys-General of all 36 states and the Federation. The order also mandates publication in the Federal Gazette and The Punch newspaper for maximum reach.
This four-year ban joins a troubling tally of LPDC crackdowns on errant counsel, echoing the January 2025 suspension of Lagos lawyer Michael Olaekan Olawoyin for five years over a N13.27 million property scam. lawyers view Halliday’s case as a cautionary tale on the perils of unchecked aggression in litigation. “It shoes that lawyers cannot weaponize false narratives against the bench without repercussions,” remarked an NBA source speaking anonymously. “The profession’s sanctity demands zero tolerance for such sabotage.”
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