The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has scheduled September 30 to deliver its ruling on a petition filed against Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ikechukwu Ezechukwu and two other lawyers over allegations of professional misconduct.
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‎Court documents obtained in Abuja identified the other respondents as Smart Ukpanah and Hope Onyekwere. The petition accuses the three legal practitioners of professional misconduct, criminal misrepresentation, forgery and perjury.
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‎At the committee’s latest sitting, counsel to the respondents, D.O. Okolo, urged the panel to dismiss the petition, arguing that the petitioner, Kingsley Aneubuna, had indicated his intention to withdraw the matter.
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‎According to Mr Okolo, the petitioner had written to the committee expressing his desire to discontinue the case and was aware of the proceedings but failed to appear before the panel.
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‎However, the LPDC chairman, Kalu Umeh (SAN), declined the request, explaining that the committee’s rules do not allow petitions to be withdrawn once all parties have joined issues in the matter.
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‎After hearing arguments from the respondents, the committee reserved its ruling until September 30.
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‎The petition stems from a dispute over the ownership of Plot No. 713, Cadastral Zone B14, Dutse District, Abuja, which is the subject of Suit No. FCT/HC/CV/1182/2018 involving Uche Okoli, Multi Shelters Limited and others against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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‎According to the petitioner, he agreed in 2018 to purchase a terrace duplex on the disputed property for N51 million from Mr Okoli and Multi Shelters Limited, who were represented by the SAN.
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‎The petition stated that before making payment, the petitioner and his lawyer sought confirmation from Mr Ezechukwu regarding the property’s legal status and were assured that the title was free of any encumbrances.
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‎Relying on those assurances, the petitioner completed the transaction and signed the purchase agreement, with the project expected to be delivered within two years.
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‎The petitioner alleged that after noticing delays in construction, he later discovered in 2021 that litigation concerning the property had already commenced in 2018 and that an injunction had been granted by Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf that same year.
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‎He further claimed that he was added as a co-claimant in the suit without his consent by Mr Ukpanah, who allegedly filed court processes and represented him without authorisation.
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‎The petition also accused Mr Onyekwere of testifying in court on behalf of the petitioner and other subscribers without their knowledge or approval.
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‎In addition, the petitioner alleged that Mr Ezechukwu tendered a forged version of the purchase agreement, bearing a falsified signature and dated 2012 instead of 2018, when the genuine agreement was executed.
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‎The petition maintained that the SAN was aware of the pending litigation before the property was sold and that the petitioner made payment based on alleged fraudulent representations.
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‎Following the discovery, the petitioner engaged another lawyer to have his name removed from the ongoing court case before filing Petition No. BB/LPDC/760/2022 before the LPDC.
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‎He asked the disciplinary committee to investigate the three respondents over the allegations of professional misconduct.