Posted by Samuel on Wed 09th Jul, 2025 - tori.ng
The five-year suspension was handed down to him by LPDC after he was found guilty of professional misconduct in a petition of Infamous Conduct filed against him by one Mrs. Grace Dauda.
The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has suspended Abuja-based lawyer Everestus Chinedum Ugwuowo from legal practice in Nigeria for five years following his indictment in a ₦29 million property fraud case.
The five-year suspension was handed down to him by LPDC after he was found guilty of professional misconduct in a petition of Infamous Conduct filed against him by one Mrs. Grace Dauda.
"We, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, hereby find the Respondent, EVERESTUS CHINEDU UGWUOWO, ESQ, liable of infamous conduct in the course of his practice as a legal practitioner," the LPDC's Final Direction read in part.
"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 LPDC faulted Ugwuowo for allegedly collecting the sum of N29million from Mrs. Dauda 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.
The committee also noted that Ugwuowo failed to make a refund to the applicant since 2017, till the verdict of the court was delivered last month.
"The Respondent, EVERESTUS CHINEDU UGWUOWO, 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 LPDC ordered.
The committee's decision was delivered by 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.
The panel concluded that Ugwuowo's actions violated the rules guiding the practice of the legal profession and must be punished accordingly.
The LPDC's direction also ordered the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court to effect the suspension and make a notation of the direction against Ugwuowo's name on the Roll of Legal Practitioners.
The committee further directed that notice of the direction be brought to the attention of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other relevant authorities.
A certified True Copy (CTC) dated July 1, but sighted, noted that the Respondent in the month of September, 2017 obtained from the Applicant the sum of N29,000,000 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 14th 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 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 on the 14th 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 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 was handed to the Respondent.