The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has suspended Everestus Chinedum Ugwuowo, an Abuja-based lawyer, from practicing law in Nigeria for five years due to his involvement in a N29 million property fraud.
The five-year suspension was imposed following a finding of professional misconduct in a petition of infamous conduct filed against Ugwuowo by Mrs. Grace Dauda, who accused him of defrauding her.
In its final direction, after hearing from both the complainant and the lawyer, the LPDC faulted Ugwuowo for accepting N29 million from Mrs. Dauda in 2017 for the sale of a four-bedroom property located in Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja.
However, Ugwuowo , did not have the property owner’s authorization to sell the house and failed to refund the money even after the court verdict was delivered last month.
A five-member panel, led by Justice Ishaq Bello, former Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and LPDC Chairman, concluded that Ugwuowo’s actions violated the professional rules guiding legal practice and warranted punishment.
The Committee stated :
“We, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, hereby find the Respondent, EVERESTUS CHINEDU UGWUOWO, ESQ., enrollment no. SCN042446, liable for infamous conduct contrary to Rule 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).”
The LPDC directed that Ugwuowo be suspended from the Roll of Legal Practitioners and prohibited from practicing law for five years starting from the date of the ruling.
He was also ordered to refund the sum of N29 million to Mrs. Dauda within 30 days.
The Committee further mandated the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court to effect the order and note the suspension on Ugwuowo’s name on the Roll of Legal Practitioners.
The order was also to be published in the PUNCH Newspaper and the Federal Gazette.
Copies of the ruling were to be served on various judicial authorities, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Presidents of Courts of Appeal, Chief Judges of High Courts nationwide, the Attorney-General of the Federation, state Attorneys-General, and law enforcement agencies such as the Inspector-General of Police and Commissioners of Police across the country.
A Certified True Copy (CTC) dated July 1, 2025, but sighted on July 6, confirmed that in September 2017, Ugwuowo collected N29 million from Mrs. Dauda for the purchase of a four-bedroom duplex at House No. 11, 662 Road, Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja, purportedly on behalf of the property owner.
The payment was acknowledged by Ugwuowo on his firm’s letterhead on September 14, 2017.
However, he, later became evasive and could not be reached.
He neither transferred the property’s possession nor title to Mrs. Dauda and failed to refund the money, which remains unpaid after more than eight years.
The actual property owner, Ciroma Muhammed Umar, stated he never authorized Ugwuowo or anyone else to sell the property in Gwarimpa Estate.
Mrs. Dauda had trusted Ugwuowo’s representations as an experienced legal practitioner and Notary Public, believing the transaction was legitimate.
Yet, Ugwuowo admitted receiving the N29 million but neither purchased the property nor refunded the money.
The LPDC’s findings confirmed that the transaction was a scam, as the property was never sold to Mrs. Dauda and the funds remained unpaid.
Although, Ugwuowo issued a United Bank for Africa (UBA) cheque for the amount, it bounced.
To date, Ugwuowo has neither completed the sale nor refunded the N29 million to Mrs. Dauda.
Source – BartisterNG
(vitalnewsngr.com)
