A past Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association, Owerri Branch, Mr. Chinedu Maurice Agu, was invited by the Imo State Police Command and held for several hours on Thursday, 9 October 2026, over a petition accusing him of impersonating the Branch leadership and of acts likely to cause a breach of the public peace by convening an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Branch.
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The meeting he convened was scheduled for the following day. The petition had asked the Commissioner of Police to post officers to the venue to prevent it.
Mr. Agu was released on bail late that night.
The petition is dated 7 October 2026, written on the letterhead of G. Killiwe-Nwachukwu, Esq., Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, of No. 1 Lawyers’ Drive, Ama-wire by Egbu Comprehensive Junction, Egbu, Owerri North Local Government Area, Imo State, and addressed to the Commissioner of Police, State Headquarters, Owerri, Imo State.
It is titled: “Petition against Chinedu Maurice Agu Esq for acts likely to cause breach of public peace, impersonation of branch leadership and unlawful convening of an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association Owerri Branch.”
The petitioner identifies himself as Godson Killiwe Nwachukwu, Esq. and opens:
“I write this petition for myself as a law abiding citizen of Nigeria.”
“I am an up to date financial member of the Owerri Branch of Nigerian Bar Association having fully paid Bar practicing fees and branch Annual Dues for 2026.”
THE ORIGIN, AS THE PETITION PUTS IT
“That on or about 25th day of August, 2026 following the conclusion of NBA Annual General Conference and the release of grant/subvention funds by the Government of Imo State to the Owerri Branch, the suspect commenced persistent agitations demanding that the said branch funds be shared as cash distributions among members who attended the conference.”
“That when I advocated for professional restraint, adherence to NBA Constitution and proper utilization of the funds for branch development, the suspect started causing confusion and mobilized some members who began requesting for Extra-ordinary General Meeting for the purposes of deliberating on the money Imo State Government gave to the Branch.”
THE COMPLAINT OF PERSONAL ATTACK
“That those requisitioning members and the suspect maliciously turned attack on my person and professional standing.”
“That I am law abiding member of NBA Owerri Branch but have been attacked by some members of the branch led by the suspect who did not want dissenting views from theirs.”
“That the suspect and the requisitioning members have been agitating continuously on the official NBA Platform, making derogatory statement and inciting division among lawyers.”
The petition then sets out three statements it says were published on the Branch’s WhatsApp platform on 29 September, 30 September and 2 October 2026:
(a) “Godson you sound so naïve…”
(b) “My learned friend, you appear to be throwing your jobs left right and centre as if in a boxing ring…”
(c) “He’s not neither here nor there, he clearly knows what he’s doing. It’s all pretences to appear to be advocating for the right thing to be done, when in the real sense he’s waiting and itching to have many of his kind come out from their cocoons. Look, there’s no point hiding this; if you’re in support of what just happened, you’re not different. In fact, you would do worst if given the opportunity…”
“That I called the Chairman and told him to take action against those attacks on the Platform but he did not take any action.”
“That these attacks via written abuse published on NBA Whatsapp Platform have damaged my personal and professional reputation.”
THE CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENT
“Under our Uniform Bye-laws for Branches contained in the NBA Constitution, the sole authority to convene a General Meeting or Extraordinary (EGM) of the Branch resides with the Executive Committee, acting through the direction of the Chairman and issuance of notices by the secretary.”
PARTICULARS OF THE CONDUCT AND IMMINENT BREACH OF PEACE
“Despite clear constitutional provisions and warnings from some members of our association, Chinedu Maurice Agu has engaged in acts calculated to cause severe factional crisis, public disorder, and physical altercation among legal practitioners in Imo state.”
“On the 2nd day of October 2026, the Suspect unlawfully issued a public notice summoning an ‘Extraordinary General Meeting’ of the NBA Owerri Branch, scheduled to hold on 10th day of October 2026, at the NBA Bar Centre Orlu Road by 2 pm.”
“This is usurpation of Executive Powers. He issued this call without the authorization, consent or directive of the Chairman Dr. Mazi Udegbulem or the Secretary thereby impersonating branch leadership authority.”
“I have a reliable information that the suspect and some of his supporters have prepared to physically assault any member who attempts to stop the illegal gathering and creating a volatile atmosphere capable of degenerating into severe public violence.”
“Organizing an illegal gathering under the guise of requisition would create potential disruption of public order and safety within Owerri City.”
WHAT THE PETITION ASKS THE POLICE TO DO
“To prevent an imminent breakdown of law and order, public embarrassment to the legal professional and potential violence, I respectfully pray you use your good offices to:”
- “Investigate the facts contained in this petition.”
- “Invite Chinedu Maurice Agu to your office and formally caution him to desist convening or conducting an unauthorized meeting in the name of NBA Owerri Branch without the consent and authority of the chairman.”
- “Direct your officers to secure the proposed venue which is Owerri Bar Centre Orlu Road on the 10th day of October by 2pm or earlier than that to maintain peace and prevent any illegal assembly or breach of public order.”
- “Take appropriate legal action under the criminal code if the suspect refuses to abide by the law and continues with actions that threaten public peace.”
The petition is signed G. Killiwe-Nwachukwu Esq. and bears an affixed Nigerian Bar Association stamp carrying the name Godson Killiwe-Nwachukwu.
Mr. Agu published a statement headed “I am back and stronger”, signed “Chinedu Agu, Returnee from X-Squad detention, 9 October 2026.”
“Uncharacteristically, I am going to be very brief. Not because I have suddenly learned to be brief overnight, but because of physical exhaustion from long hours of detention at the police station today, and mental exhaustion from the weight of my disappointment in this profession of ours, which my experience today has further exposed.”
“Recall that I had indicated earlier this morning that I received a call from an Assistant Commissioner of Police inviting me over a petition that warranted my seeing the CP ‘very, very urgently.'”
“On getting to the SIB Unit with scores of lawyers whom I shall leave unnamed, I was handed over to the X-Squad Unit of the police [this same X-Squad of September 2025]. One of the IPOs from the previous matter, with whom I have become close, asked, ‘Why you again?’ And I retorted cheerfully, ‘No, it should rather be your unit again.'”
Mr. Agu alleges that the Branch Chairman procured the petition. In doing so he applies an abusive epithet to the Chairman, which he says he has chosen deliberately and can justify a claim this publication does not adopt and which the Chairman has not answered:
“Dr. Mazi Udegbulem, the kleptomaniac Chairman of NBA Owerri [and I chose this adjective very deliberately, and it will not amount to defamation because I have overwhelming pieces of evidence which, should he challenge me, I will make available in the public domain], had procured the services of Godson Killiwe-Nwachukwu, Esq. to write a petition against me bordering on impersonation and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace.”
“I was saddened that, of all lawyers in Nigeria, of all lawyers in Imo State, of all lawyers in Owerri, and of all lawyers in NBA Owerri, it was Godson Killi[we]-Nwachukwu who decided to allow himself to be used as nkita eji achu ohia — the hunter’s dog.”
“What shocked me was that the very first paragraph of his petition introduces him as a financially up-to-date member of NBA Owerri, whereas Mr. Killi[we] not only affixed a fake stamp to his petition but also affixed same with a very weak gum. To add insult to injury, the fake stamp expired in March 2020, suggesting that the last time Killi[we] paid his practising fee, Branch dues and welfare levies might have been in 2019.”
“I shall not go into the merits of his petition, since I have given a rare promise of brevity, but I must interrogate why Dr. Mazi continues to make deliberate efforts to frustrate any gathering where questions of accountability would be raised.”
“What is the Chairman of NBA Owerri hiding? Why has he procured the police to keep me behind bars and frustrate the requisitioned meeting of tomorrow? Why does he not want the meeting to hold tomorrow? Why does Dr. Udegbulem not want lawyers to gather tomorrow and ask questions about NBA funds that he allegedly misappropriated?”
“To think that one man who I have never seen in any meeting of NBA Owerri and who is not a financial member will raise a petition against an Extra-ordinary General Meeting requisitioned by 183 members [as at 2 October but 257 members by today] is shocking. How is Killi[we] wiser than over 200 members who are agitating for the crisis in NBA Owerri to be resolved through a meeting tomorrow.”
“And I suspect and I am, of course, entitled to my personal opinion that but for seniors Dec Madu and Chidi Nworka, who spent several hours with me at the police station until late this night when I was granted bail, I probably would be cooling off in one of those sleazy cells, in my boxers and bare body, like the other time. Many other senior members of the Bar who accompanied me [whose names I shall deliberately leave unmentioned] also stayed until the very end of the long ordeal. [Very special thanks to Prof. Chidi Odinkalu for escalating the situation through his X-handle].”
“What I experienced today at the police station made me understand one thing: as a society, we are not ready for conversations on accountability. As a people, we are just very unserious about serious conversations around probity. And, as lawyers, cronyism has been enthroned.”
“The roles played by different protagonists in my invitation and detention have been duly noted. But I must confess that I have lost respect for many individuals whom I had erroneously held in high esteem.”
“The signs have always been there, right from 27 June 2026. But what I witnessed today has left me firmly convinced that Dr. Mazi Udegbulem has successfully and gleefully handed this our NBA over to the executive arm. And what a shame!”
“As a society, as an association, we have a much bigger problem on our hands. For when those who should be the foremost defenders of the rule of law become subservient to the very powers they are duty-bound to hold accountable, the implications go far beyond the Nigerian Bar Association.”
“For NBA Owerri, we are finished!!!”
This publication reported on 6 October the two letters now before the EFCC’s Awka Zonal Directorate.
On 30 September 2026, Mr. Agu petitioned the Commission to investigate the N100,000,000.00 released by the Imo State Government to the Branch on 24 August 2026, alleging criminal misappropriation and improper management.
On 5 October 2026, Dr. Udegbulem replied, denying “any misappropriation, diversion, conversion or personal use of any part of the N100,000,000.00”, stating that he has “no fear of scrutiny and no objection to a comprehensive forensic examination”, and asking the Commission to trace every Branch account from inception, naming six administrations back to 2014. He assumed office on 27 June 2026.
The earlier petition recorded that the Chairman had disclosed expenditure of N81,910,000.00, leaving N18,090,000.00 whose application was not stated at the Branch meeting of 26 September 2026 the meeting at which what the petition called “purported impeachment proceedings” took place.
The petition now before the Commissioner of Police is dated two days after the Chairman’s reply to the EFCC. The requisitioned meeting it sought to stop was called to discuss the same money.
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