In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court of Nigeria has annulled the five-year suspension previously imposed on C. O. C. Akaolisa, the Attorney General of Imo State, by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC). The apex court’s decision comes after a series of legal challenges were filed against the LPDC’s ruling.
Akaolisa’s suspension, which was handed down in July 2021, followed accusations that he had leveraged his position to secure the release of a suspect charged with murder. The LPDC panel had concluded that Akaolisa’s actions constituted professional misconduct, leading to the five-year ban from practicing law. However, the Supreme Court found significant flaws in the disciplinary committee’s ruling.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Mohammed Baba Idris, who led the five-member Supreme Court panel, stated that the appellant’s appeal had merit. The court highlighted that the LPDC’s decision was not supported by adequate evidence, and as a result, the suspension was deemed unjustified.
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Justice Idris remarked, “Upon thorough review of the case and the arguments from counsel, the court deems the appeal of the appellant to be well-founded. Consequently, the decision rendered by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee on July 9, 2021, is hereby overturned.”
This ruling marks a pivotal moment in the legal proceedings involving Akaolisa, reinstating his ability to practice law in Nigeria.
