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ABUJA LAWYER BARRED FROM LAW PRACTICES FOR 5 YEARS OVER N29M PROPERTY FRAUD
The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, LPDC, has barred an Abuja based lawyer, Everestus Chinedum Ugwuowo from practising law in Nigeria for five years over his indictment in a N29M property fraud.
The five years suspension handed down to him by LPDC was sequel to his guilt of professional misconduct in a petition of Infamous Conduct filed against him by one Mrs Grace Dauda.
LPDC in its Final Direction delivered after listening to the defrauded woman andUgwuowo, faulted the lawyer for collecting the sum of N29 million from the woman for the sale of a four bedroom property located in Gwarimpa Estate in Abuja, in 2017, when he did not have the authority of the house owner to sell the said property, and for failing to make refund to the applicant since 2017, till last month when the verdict of the court was delivered.
A five-member panel led by Justice Ishaq Bello, a former Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and LPDC Chairman concluded that the action of Ugwuowo violated the rules guiding the practice of the legal protection and must be punished accordingly.
“We the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee hereby find the Respondent, EVERESTUS CHINEDU UGWUOWO, ESQ with Enrollment No. SCN042446, a legal practitioner whose name is on the Roll of Legal Practitioners liable of infamous conduct in the course of his practice as a legal practitioner as set out in the Application of the Applicant contrary to Rules 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023 and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Legal Practitioners Act Cap. L11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 (as amended).
“We are satisfied that the proper Order to make in the circumstances is to DIRECT as follows: That the Respondent, EVERESTUS CHINEDU UGWUOWO, ESQ. be and is hereby suspended from the Roll of Legal Practitioners and from engaging in the business of practicing law for a period of FIVE YEARS from the date of this DIRECTION.
“The Respondent, EVERESTUS CHINEDU UGWUOWBO, ESQ is also directed to refund the sum of N29,000,000.00 (Twenty-Nine Million Naira) only to the Applicant within 30 days from the date of this Direction.
“The Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court is hereby DIRECTED to effect the above Order and to make a notation of this DIRECTION against the name of the Respondent, ENWEFA HYACINTH, on the Roll of Legal Practitioners.
“This Order shall forthwith be brought to the attention of the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court.
“We further order that NOTICE of this DIRECTION be immediately brought to the attention of the Respondent (the presence of the Respondent physically or electronically at the proceeding of this Committee where this DIRECTION is read shall be deemed to be sufficient personal service) and by publication in any edition of the PUNCH Newspaper and also by publication in the Federal Gazette as required by law.
“Copies of this Direction must also be served on the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) who will take steps to notify the General Council of the Bar, National Executive Committee and other organs of the NBA of the Direction of this Committee.
“We also DIRECT that the entire Judgment encompassing this Direction shall be brought to the attention of their lordships, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, President of the Court of Appeal, the Honourable Chief Judges of the High Court of the FCT, Federal High Court, the High Court of all other States of the Federation and National Industrial Court of Nigeria.
” Others are President of the Customary Court of Appeal of all the States of the Federation and the FCT, the Customary Court of all the States of the Federation, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the entire Attorneys General of the remaining 36 States of the Federation.
“The order shall also be served on the inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police of Federal Capital Territory and the respective Commissioners of Police in the other States of the Federation.
“This shall be the Direction of the Committee”, the final direction dated June 20, 2025, read in part.
A certified True Copy (CTC) dated July 1, but sighted on July 6, noted that the Respondent in the month of September, 2017 obtained from the Applicant the sum of N29,000,000.00 (Twenty-Nine Million Naira) for the purchase of the four bedroom Duplex located at House No. 11, 662 road, Gwarinpa Estate, Abuja on behalf of the property owner.
The payment was duly acknowledged by the Respondent on his firm’s letter head on 14″ September, 2017. After receiving the said funds, the Respondent became evasive and thus could no longer be reached.
“He neither transferred possession of the land nor title of the property to the Applicant, indeed never refunded the said sum of N29,000,000.00 (Twenty-Nine Million Naira) paid to him till date, over eight (8) years now. The real owner of the property, one Ciroma Muhammed Umar, appeared and made a statement to the effect that he has never authorized the Respondent or any other person to sell his property in Gwarinpa Estate.
“The Applicant had relied on the Respondent’s claim as a Legal Practitioner with over 15 years of experience and a Notary Public to believe that the transaction was legitimate and subsequently paid the sum of N29,000,000.00 (Twenty-Nine Million Naira) on the 14% September, 2017 trusting the authenticity of the authority and the Respondent’s representations as a Legal practitioner and a Notary public.
“On the other hand, the response of the Respondent, admitted receiving or collecting the sum of N29,000,000.00 (Twenty-Nine Million Naira) from the Applicant for the purpose of purchasing the house in issue for the Applicant which he neither made the purchase nor refund the funds as collected from the Applicant”, the document stated.
The LPDC, in its findings held that it was certain that the Applicant went into the transaction for the purchase of a four bedroom duplex and for which the sum of N29,000,000.00 (TwentyNine Million Naira) was handed to the Respondent.
”It is clear from the facts of the matter as posited by the Applicant and no less the evidence led by the Applicant, the Respondent could not purchase the said house as it turned out a scam. The real owner of the house never authorized the selling of the house to the Respondent. Consequently, the Applicant had no house given to her or the refunds of her funds since the year 2017.
“The Respondent’s issuance of a United Bank for Africa (UBA) cheque covering the amount of N29,000,000.00 (Twenty-Nine Million Naira) failed to result in refunding the funds, as it turned out a dud cheque. Up till date, the Respondent never refunded the N29,000,000.00 (Twenty-Nine Million Naira) back to the Applicant”, it added.
