The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has imposed a two-year suspension on Chijioke Ugochukwu Onyeneke for “infamous conduct in the course of performing his duties as a legal practitioner.”
Onyeneke’s suspension follows an application filed in February 2021 by lawyer Ayodele Kusamotu. The LPDC is the statutory body responsible for handling disciplinary cases involving Nigerian lawyers.
In his application, Kusamotu alleged that Onyeneke wrote a petition dated June 12, 2018, to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), accusing him of engaging in fraudulent activities with Hexing Electrical Company Ltd. Onyeneke claimed that Kusamotu was a “crony being used to execute fraudulent activities with his client” Hexing Electrical Company Ltd against Chris Ejik International Agencies Ltd.
At the time, Onyeneke was acting as counsel for Chris Ejik International Agencies Ltd in a trade dispute involving the supply of electric meters. Following Onyeneke’s petition, the police invited Kusamotu for questioning and later filed a criminal charge against him, which the court eventually struck out.
Kusamotu also filed a fundamental human rights enforcement suit against the police (FHC/L/CS/210/2019) over harassment arising from the petition. The court ruled in Kusamotu’s favour, describing the petition as “baseless, frivolous, and actuated mala fide.”
Kusamotu further argued to the LPDC that Onyeneke was aware the information in the petition was false and that his relationship with Hexing Electrical Company was strictly professional. He described Onyeneke’s allegations as “unsubstantiated and malicious.”
Onyeneke, in response, contended that the LPDC lacked jurisdiction to entertain the case because the allegations of providing false information constituted a criminal matter and were already sub judice before a court of competent jurisdiction.
On November 14, the LPDC ruled that Onyeneke acted in bad faith by filing the petition and facilitating Kusamotu’s arrest. The committee stated that the petition was not supported by any reasonable facts to justify such claims.
The LPDC held that since the matter was already in court, the police had no need to investigate. It also found that Onyeneke failed to demonstrate good faith in facilitating the arrest of his colleague.
The committee concluded that Onyeneke breached the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, particularly Rules 1 and 26(1) of the RPC 2023.
The LPDC stated:
“We, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, hereby find the Respondent, CHIJIOKE UGOCHUKWU ONYENEKE, ESQ, with enrollment number SCN040566, guilty of infamous conduct in the course of performing his duties as a legal practitioner, contrary to Rules 1 and 26(1) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, and punishable under Section 12(1) of the Legal Practitioners Act, Cap L11, LFN 2004 (as amended).”
The committee directed that:
Onyeneke be suspended from the Roll of Legal Practitioners and from engaging in the practice of law for a period of two (2) years from the date of the order.
Onyeneke tender a letter of apology in a national daily newspaper within 30 days.
The LPDC further instructed the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court to effect the suspension and make a notation against Onyeneke’s name on the Roll of Legal Practitioners. Copies of the directive are to be sent to relevant legal stakeholders, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria, all heads of courts, and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
In a related development, in December 2024, the LPDC had imposed a three-year suspension on Abubuike Sylvester, the police counsel in the case, for professional misconduct.
