EFCC Threatens Legal Action Over Foreign-Currency Fees Charged by Lawyers

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has cautioned Nigerian lawyers against demanding payment from clients in foreign currencies, describing the practice as illegal and unethical.

The warning was issued by the Acting Zonal Director of the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo, during a meeting with representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Lagos Task Force on Illegal Practice of Law.

The meeting took place in Lagos on Friday, September 11, 2026. The NBA delegation was led by the head of the task force, Moshood Abiola.

Kaltungo expressed concern about practices within the legal profession that may violate Nigerian laws and established professional standards. He specifically identified the charging of clients in foreign currencies as one of the activities requiring attention.

According to the commission, lawyers found culpable of unlawful conduct could face prosecution. The EFCC official stressed that membership of the legal profession would not exempt anyone from accountability where a transaction falls within the agency’s enforcement mandate.

The engagement also provided an opportunity for the EFCC and the NBA task force to discuss closer collaboration in addressing illegal legal practice and other forms of professional misconduct.

The latest warning forms part of the commission’s broader campaign against the use of foreign currencies to price or settle domestic transactions in Nigeria.

In 2024, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede issued a similar warning to schools, supermarkets, hotels and other businesses demanding payment in dollars or other foreign currencies for goods and services supplied within the country.

Olukoyede said at the time that the dollarisation of domestic transactions could amount to an offence under Nigerian law and warned that organisations engaging in the practice could be investigated and prosecuted.

The latest statement places legal practitioners under increased scrutiny and reinforces the EFCC’s position that professional fees and other domestic obligations should comply with Nigeria’s currency and financial regulations.

However, the commission’s announcement did not provide details about transactions involving international clients, cross-border legal services or other circumstances in which foreign-currency payments may be permitted.

Lawyers and clients may therefore need to consider the nature of each transaction and obtain appropriate professional guidance to ensure that their payment arrangements comply with applicable laws and regulatory requirements.

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