Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has dismissed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Cyprian Akaolisa, with immediate effect.
No official reason was provided for the announcement, which was made public on Monday afternoon by the Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation, and Strategy, Chief Declan Emelumba.
The directive instructed Akaolisa to hand over all government property in his possession to the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice without delay.
The statement, titled “Imo State Government Special Public Service Announcement,” read: “The Governor of Imo State, His Excellency Senator Hope Uzodimma, CON, has approved the immediate removal from office of the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister C.O.C. Akaolisa.
“The former commissioner is hereby directed to hand over all government property under his care to the State Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, immediately.”
Prior to Uzodimma’s tenure as governor, Akaolisa was a close ally and was considered a potential Deputy Governorship candidate in 2019.
However, tensions arose between them, notably when Akaolisa was mistakenly omitted during a cabinet reshuffle. Emelumba later clarified that Akaolisa was not among the commissioners dismissed at that time.
In 2021, Akaolisa was barred from practising law by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for alleged professional misconduct.
The ban followed the findings of a six-member Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Dauda J.B. (SAN).
On July 9, 2021, the committee found Akaolisa guilty of the allegations and imposed a five-year suspension from legal practice due to misconduct.
It was reported that he had allegedly used his position as Attorney General to facilitate the bail of a murder suspect who had been in custody since 2013, standing trial before Justice Onii Egbunighe of Orlu High Court (2).
The suspect, Mr Paulinus Nwanochie, was on trial for the murder of Mr Alphonsus Akuma, both from Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.
Akaolisa was purportedly the suspect’s legal counsel prior to his appointment as Attorney General.
However, in April 2025, the Supreme Court of Nigeria overturned the five-year ban following appeals against the LPDC’s decision.
In a unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court found the committee’s ruling flawed and set it aside.
Justice Mohammed Baba Idris, leading the five-member panel, stated: “Having considered the arguments presented by counsel, the court finds the appeal meritorious and hereby allows it.
“The decision of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee delivered on July 9, 2021, which found the appellant liable for infamous conduct and suspended him from legal practice for five years, is hereby set aside.”
