The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has suspended a lawyer, Marcel Chukwuma Udebuani, popularly known as “Agams,” for five years following his conviction for professional misconduct, corruption, and gross ethical violations.
The decision, delivered under Suit No. BB/LPDC/530/2021 and led by Justice Ishaq Bello, found Udebuani guilty of betraying client trust, misappropriating funds and unauthorized demolition of property.
The complaint was filed by Ms. Cecilia Okpala, a Nigerian living in the UK. She accused Udebuani—whom she granted power of attorney in 2016—of misusing his authority over her property at Plot 96, Katampe Extension, Abuja.
He was to manage rentals and receive a 15 per cent commission. But between 2017 and 2019, he failed to remit earnings, blaming tenant defaults and unspecified legal fees. After Ms. Okpala spent N3.8 million on renovations in 2019, she was told a new tenant, Alhaji Abubakar Abdulhameed, would pay N3 million annually and invest N10 million to add toilets.
Though she objected to further modifications, she was promised no significant changes. Shockingly, when Ms. Okpala visited Nigeria in late 2019, she discovered her original structure had been demolished and replaced — all without her consent.
Investigations revealed Udebuani had secretly signed a N30 million lease with Abdulhameed for five years, remitting only N2.5 million. Despite multiple requests, Udebuani failed to provide financial records. Ms. Okpala consequently revoked his power of attorney and petitioned the LPDC.
The panel, which included Justice O.O. Daniel-Kalio, Justice Halima Ibrahim Abdulmalik, and two Attorneys General—Dr. Ben Odoh (Ebonyi) and Fidelis Mnyim (Benue)— unanimously condemned Udebuani’s actions as a disgrace to the legal profession. The LPDC ordered Udebuani to account for all funds collected between 2019 and 2020 within 30 days.
Meanwhile, Abdulhameed has filed a suit at the FCT High Court challenging Ms. Okpala’s efforts to reclaim her property and is now seeking a renewed five-year lease. Udebuani, listed as a witness in that case, claimed he was only acting on verbal instructions to evict tenants and oversee renovations. He denied receiving rent or taking fees.
Nonetheless, the LPDC found him guilty of violating Rules 1, 14(1), and 23(2) of the 2023 Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners. In a statement dated June 20, 2025, the committee declared: “We find the Respondent, MARCEL DIMUDEBUANI, ESQ., guilty of infamous conduct in the performance of his legal duties and hereby suspend him from practice for five years”.
The LPDC directed the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court to annotate Udebuani’s record and commence the suspension immediately. Copies of the ruling will be distributed to the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Justice of Nigeria, heads of courts, Attorneys-General across all 36 states, and relevant law enforcement bodies.
