This article examines the pervasive yet under-documented issue of sexual assault and harassment of female lawyers by their colleagues within the Nigerian legal profession. Despite the profession's role as a custodian of justice, it is rife with significant gender-based discrimination, abuse, and impunity. This study synthesises data from recent empirical reports, analyses the existing legal and regulatory frameworks, and evaluates the cultural and structural factors that perpetuate this problem. Through an examination of landmark cases, such as Ejieke Maduka v Microsoft Nigeria, and the policies of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), this research highlights the profound disconnect between legal ideals and the lived realities of many female practitioners. It finds that a combination of patriarchal societal norms, hierarchical professional structures, economic vulnerability, and inadequate reporting mechanisms creates an environment in which sexual misconduct thrives, and victims are silenced. The research concludes with comprehensive recommendations for legislative, institutional, and cultural reforms to foster a safe, equitable, and just legal profession for all practitioners in Nigeria.

This article examines the evolving, dual role of Nigerian legal practitioners within the anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) framework. It traces the historical emergence of money laundering in Nigeria. It analyses the progressive development of legal and regulatory responses, highlighting the profession’s initial resistance to being designated as a Designated Non-Financial Business or Profession (DNFBPs). This resistance, rooted in the sanctity of attorney-client privilege, created a regulatory gap that was often exploited for illicit financial flows. The article critically assesses the pivotal shift introduced by Chapter Two of the 2023 Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) for legal practitioners. This new chapter represents the legal profession’s formal, self-regulatory acknowledgement of its responsibility in combating financial crimes. It imposes specific obligations on lawyers, including client due diligence (CDD), record-keeping, risk assessment, and the mandatory reporting of suspicious transactions to the Nigerian Bar Association Anti-Money Laundering Committee (NBAAMLC). This research adopts a doctrinal research method. The RPC 2023, particularly Chapter Two, imposes significant Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CTF) obligations on legal practitioners, effectively casting them in a "dual role" as both zealous advocates for their clients and essential gatekeepers for the financial system. This dual mandate creates an inherent tension, particularly concerning the sacred duty of client confidentiality and the mandatory reporting of suspicious transactions. Finally, the article identifies key challenges to the effective implementation of this new ethical regime, including potential resistance from practitioners, weak enforcement mechanisms, and inadequate awareness. It concludes that for Nigeria’s AML/CFT efforts to be robust, lawyers must embrace their dual role not merely as client advocates but as essential gatekeepers of the financial system’s integrity. The successful implementation of Chapter Two’s provisions will be crucial to reshaping professional ethics and bolstering Nigeria's fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.

The coming and evolution of technology have seen its adoption in many domains, including the financial sector, following the introduction of online or digital financial transactions. This method of money transfer has been adopted by many financial institutions, with the microfinance sector being very active in it. The increased use of this mode of money transfer has led to numerous consumer rights violations, an increase in money laundering, and other unacceptable activities by individuals with malicious intent. The boiling point here is the laxity of the legislator in solving these difficulties encountered in online transactions within the microfinance sector in Cameroon. This scientific article is aimed at assessing the regulatory oversight of online transactions in MFIs in Cameroon, with a focus on the impact of regulatory laxity. It aims to assess the effectiveness with which the regulator of online financial transactions in the microfinance sector in Cameroon ensures the smooth operation of such transactions within the sector, taking into consideration their significance for consumer protection, financial stability, and, above all, financial inclusion. Through an examination of the current regulatory framework, analysis of risks, challenges, and explorations of policy recommendations, this work provides significant insight for policymakers, regulators, and stakeholders in addressing regulatory loopholes and ensuring an effective system for online transactions in the microfinance sector in Cameroon.