The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has suspended Marcel Chukwuma Udebuani,Esq popularly known as “Agams,” for five years over professional misconduct, corruption, and gross violations of legal ethics.
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In its judgment under Suit No. BB/LPDC/530/2021, the Committee, chaired by Hon. Justice Dr. Ishaq Bello (OFR), found Udebuani guilty of abusing his client’s trust, diverting funds, and unlawfully altering her property without authorization.
The complaint was filed by Ms. Cecilia Okpala, a UK-based Nigerian, who accused Udebuani of financial misappropriation and the unauthorized demolition of her property located at Plot 96, Katampe Extension, Abuja.
According to the case file, Ms. Okpala granted Udebuani power of attorney in 2016 to manage the property, with an agreement that he would earn a 15% annual commission from rental income. Between 2017 and 2019, Udebuani failed to remit rental proceeds, citing tenant default and unapproved legal expenses.
After Okpala spent ₦3.8 million renovating the property in 2019, Udebuani informed her that a new tenant, Alhaji Abubakar Abdulhameed, had agreed to a ₦3 million annual rent and would invest ₦10 million to add toilets to the property. Despite her objections to any further alterations, she was assured no significant changes would be made.
However, when she returned to Nigeria in November 2019, she found the original structure demolished and replaced with new buildings — all done without her consent. Further investigations revealed that Udebuani had executed a five-year lease agreement with Abdulhameed for ₦30 million, none of which was fully accounted for. Only ₦2.5 million was remitted out of the ₦3 million expected rent in 2019, with no explanation for the ₦500,000 shortfall.
Ms. Okpala’s repeated requests for a financial account of the lease and property management went unanswered. She subsequently revoked the power of attorney and filed a petition with the LPDC.
The LPDC found that Udebuani’s actions constituted gross professional misconduct, including financial misappropriation and unauthorized demolition of client property, in violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
The panel—comprising Hon. Justice O.O. Daniel-Kalio (OFR), Hon. Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik, Dr. Ben Uruchi Odoh (Attorney General, Ebonyi State), and Fidelis B. Mnyim (Attorney General, Benue State)—unanimously described Udebuani’s conduct as “a gross betrayal of the noble legal profession.”
The Committee also directed Udebuani to provide a detailed account of all funds received on behalf of Ms. Okpala from 2019 to 2020 within 30 days of the judgment.
In her affidavit, Ms. Okpala disclosed that her tenant, Abdulhameed, filed a suit at the FCT High Court on July 3, 2024, contesting her efforts to reclaim possession of the property. The tenant is now seeking an additional five-year lease at ₦3 million per annum. Udebuani, a witness in the case, maintains that he acted within his legal authority.
He claimed that Ms. Okpala had turned to him for assistance after a former lawyer attempted to fraudulently seize the property. He denied collecting rent or being paid, insisting his role was limited to evicting tenants and overseeing renovations on her verbal instructions. He also alleged that all actions were carried out at her behest, including the hiring of Barr. Paschal Obiora to serve statutory notices.
Despite his denials, the LPDC held that Udebuani violated Rules 1, 14(1), and 23(2) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023.
In a statement dated June 20, 2025, the Committee ruled:
“We, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, hereby find the Respondent, MARCEL DIM-UDEBUANI, ESQ., with enrolment number SCN60515, guilty of infamous conduct in the course of the performance of his duty as a legal practitioner, contrary to Rules 1, 14(1), and 23(2) 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 LPDC further directed the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court to make a notation against Udebuani’s name on the Roll of Legal Practitioners and to enforce the five-year suspension immediately.
The order also mandates that copies of the judgment be served on the President of the Nigerian Bar Association and other critical legal institutions and authorities across the country, including the Chief Justice of Nigeria, heads of various courts, the Attorney-General of the Federation, the 36 State Attorneys-General, and law enforcement agencies.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/LPDC-Direction-on-Mr.-Udebuanis-Case.pdf” title=”LPDC Direction on Mr. Udebuani’s Case”]
“This shall be the DIRECTION of the Committee,” the statement concluded.
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