Onyebuchi Onwuchekwa, Owerri
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has dismissed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Cyprian Akaolisa, with immediate effect.
Investigator news reports that there is no official reason 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, 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 Governor 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 Akaolisa had allegedly used his position as Attorney General to facilitate the bail of a murder suspect Mr Paulinus Nwanochie,who was on trial since 2013 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.
