Giwa Ihesha
Member
Is there any legal consequence for a non-lawyer who puts a Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) sticker on his or her vehicle?
In Nigeria, it is very common to see many cars and even trucks with NBA stickers.
Some put the sticker to truly indicate that they are lawyers called to the Nigerian Bar, while others put it because they are related to a lawyer or to create a false impression, especially to avoid being stopped and harassed by security operatives.
That small sticker you bought for ₦500 can land you in prison.
These are basic facts you should know about NBA stickers:
If you put the sticker to get favour, to make the police not stop you, to enter court premises, or to intimidate someone, you are:
Falsely representing yourself as a lawyer.
Cheating by personation.
The fact that everyone is doing it does not make it right. There are legal consequences for using an NBA sticker if you are not a lawyer.
Section 22(1)(c) & (d) of the Legal Practitioners Act states that any person who is not a lawyer and wilfully takes or uses any name, title, "addition or description" falsely implying that he is a lawyer or pretends to be a lawyer, is guilty of a crimíñal offéñce and upon conviction is liable to a fine of ₦100.
An NBA sticker on a car is an "addition/description" that tells the public "this car belongs to a lawyer." If you are not a lawyer and you put it there, you are pretending to be a legal practitioner.
You can also be tried under Sections 484 - 487 of the Crimíñal Code for impersonating a lawyer through the use of an NBA sticker and be liable to 3 years' imprisonment.
Due to the low value of the ₦100 fine under the Legal Practitioners Act, the police will charge you under the Crimíñal Code Act or Pen Code Act, which carries a term of imprisonment.
That your spouse, sibling, child or other relative is a lawyer is not a cover for you to use an NBA sticker.
If you use a car with an NBA sticker to collect land, thréàten tenants, or recover debts, it becomes "fràúd and obtaining by false pretence" and you will be liable to up to 5 years' imprisonment.
If you are a law student, a clerk, or you bought a car from a lawyer and his sticker is still on it, remove it. The law does not excuse "I forgot to remove it" or "I will soon be a lawyer" if you are using it to get free passage.
If you are not a lawyer, don't put an NBA sticker or a lawyer's wig on your dashboard.
All of these are interpreted as impersonation.
When the police stop you and do not find anything else against you, that NBA sticker will sell you out when they ask you to prove that you are a lawyer.
Don't let a sticker that is not worth more than ₦500 - ₦1,000 make you spend days in a police cell, be arraigned before a court, and be sentenced to prison to eat watery, stony beans.
Remember, ignorance of the law is not an excuse.
© NkyLaw
In Nigeria, it is very common to see many cars and even trucks with NBA stickers.
Some put the sticker to truly indicate that they are lawyers called to the Nigerian Bar, while others put it because they are related to a lawyer or to create a false impression, especially to avoid being stopped and harassed by security operatives.
That small sticker you bought for ₦500 can land you in prison.
These are basic facts you should know about NBA stickers:
If you put the sticker to get favour, to make the police not stop you, to enter court premises, or to intimidate someone, you are: Falsely representing yourself as a lawyer. Cheating by personation. The fact that everyone is doing it does not make it right. There are legal consequences for using an NBA sticker if you are not a lawyer.Section 22(1)(c) & (d) of the Legal Practitioners Act states that any person who is not a lawyer and wilfully takes or uses any name, title, "addition or description" falsely implying that he is a lawyer or pretends to be a lawyer, is guilty of a crimíñal offéñce and upon conviction is liable to a fine of ₦100.
An NBA sticker on a car is an "addition/description" that tells the public "this car belongs to a lawyer." If you are not a lawyer and you put it there, you are pretending to be a legal practitioner.
You can also be tried under Sections 484 - 487 of the Crimíñal Code for impersonating a lawyer through the use of an NBA sticker and be liable to 3 years' imprisonment. Due to the low value of the ₦100 fine under the Legal Practitioners Act, the police will charge you under the Crimíñal Code Act or Pen Code Act, which carries a term of imprisonment. That your spouse, sibling, child or other relative is a lawyer is not a cover for you to use an NBA sticker. If you use a car with an NBA sticker to collect land, thréàten tenants, or recover debts, it becomes "fràúd and obtaining by false pretence" and you will be liable to up to 5 years' imprisonment. If you are a law student, a clerk, or you bought a car from a lawyer and his sticker is still on it, remove it. The law does not excuse "I forgot to remove it" or "I will soon be a lawyer" if you are using it to get free passage. If you are not a lawyer, don't put an NBA sticker or a lawyer's wig on your dashboard.All of these are interpreted as impersonation.
When the police stop you and do not find anything else against you, that NBA sticker will sell you out when they ask you to prove that you are a lawyer.
Don't let a sticker that is not worth more than ₦500 - ₦1,000 make you spend days in a police cell, be arraigned before a court, and be sentenced to prison to eat watery, stony beans.
Remember, ignorance of the law is not an excuse.
© NkyLaw