Abuja lawyer banned from legal practice for 5 years over N29 million fraud

Everestus Ugwuowo, an Abuja-based lawyer, has been banned from practising law in Nigeria for five years by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) following his involvement in a N29 million property fraud.

The LPDC imposed the five-year suspension after finding him guilty of professional misconduct in a case brought against him by Grace Dauda, who accused him of unethical behaviour.

In its final ruling, it found fault with the conduct of Ugwuowo after reviewing the complaint of a woman who was defrauded.

The panel criticised the lawyer for accepting ₦29 million from the woman in 2017 as payment for a four-bedroom house in Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja, despite lacking the legal authority from the property owner to sell it.

Ugwuowo failed to return the money to the woman from 2017 until just last month, following the court’s judgment.

A five-member panel, chaired by Justice Ishaq Bello, former Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court and current head of the LPDC, determined that Ugwuowo’s actions breached the ethical standards of legal practice.

The committee noted that disciplinary measures were necessary in response to his misconduct.

“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 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 be promptly brought to the attention of the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court.

Furthermore, we direct that NOTICE of this DIRECTION be immediately served on the Respondent. The Respondent’s physical or electronic presence at the proceedings of this Committee where this DIRECTION is read shall constitute sufficient personal service.

Additionally, this NOTICE shall be published in any edition of The PUNCH Newspaper and in the Federal Gazette, in accordance with the applicable legal requirements.

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 the 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.

The Respondent neither transferred ownership nor delivered possession of the property to the Applicant and, to date more than eight years later has failed to return the sum of N29,000,000.00 (Twenty-Nine Million Naira) paid by the Applicant. Subsequently, the actual owner of the property, one Ciroma Muhammed Umar, came forward and clarified that he never gave the Respondent or any other individual permission to sell the property located in Gwarinpa Estate.

The Applicant had entered into the transaction based on trust in the Respondent’s professional standing, having practiced law for over 15 years and held the office of Notary Public.

Relying on the Respondent’s representations, the Applicant made a payment of N29,000,000.00 on the 14th of September, 2017, believing the sale to be valid and legitimate.

In his own submission, the Respondent acknowledged collecting the N29,000,000.00 from the Applicant, purportedly for the purchase of the house in question. However, he neither completed the acquisition nor returned the funds.

According to findings by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), it was clear that the Applicant intended to purchase a four-bedroom duplex and had entrusted the Respondent with the sum of N29,000,000.00 for that purpose.

The evidence presented demonstrated that the Respondent failed to acquire the said property, which turned out to be a fraudulent offer. The legitimate owner had never authorised its sale, leaving the Applicant without the property or any reimbursement since 2017.

Although the Respondent later issued a cheque from United Bank for Africa (UBA) for the same amount, it was dishonoured and did not lead to any refund. To this day, the Applicant has not received back the N29,000,000.00