Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Joe-Kyari Gadzama, has challenged the decision of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) suspending him from legal practice for three years, saying he has commenced steps to appeal the ruling at the Supreme Court.
The LPDC, in its decision delivered on July 29, found Gadzama and another lawyer, Ocha Ulegede, guilty of breaching provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, in relation to their handling of a matter involving victims of the 2001 Zaki Biam killings in Benue State.
While Gadzama was suspended for three years, Ulegede received a two-year suspension. The committee also directed that all Heads of Superior Courts of Record in Nigeria be notified of the decision, with the sanctions taking immediate effect.
Reacting in a statement on Thursday, Gadzama said he had instructed his legal team to challenge the decision before the Supreme Court, insisting that the committee’s findings were not supported by either the evidence presented or the applicable law.
He said although he was yet to receive the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the LPDC’s decision, his lawyers had been directed to file an appeal without delay.
According to him, Section 11(8)(a) of the Legal Practitioners Act provides that where an appeal is filed within the stipulated period, the disciplinary committee’s decision cannot take effect until the appeal is determined.
“My attention has been drawn to the direction delivered on July 29, 2026, by the LPDC in Complaint No. BB/LPDC/1314/2024. While I am yet to receive the Certified True Copy of the decision, I have instructed my legal team to file an immediate appeal,” he said.
Gadzama maintained that he holds the institutions regulating the legal profession in high esteem but disagreed with the committee’s conclusions.
According to him, the petition accused him of improperly taking over another lawyer’s brief, soliciting clients and wrongfully appropriating professional fees.
He, however, described the allegations as unfounded, maintaining that he was directly engaged by the judgment creditors through written letters of instruction and acted strictly within the scope of that professional engagement.
He further argued that the dispute centred on issues of legal representation and professional fees, which, in his view, ought not to have been resolved through disciplinary proceedings.
The senior lawyer expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would objectively review both the legal and factual issues raised in the appeal.
He also reassured his clients, colleagues and members of the public that his right to practise law remains intact pending the determination of the appeal in line with the provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act.
Gadzama reaffirmed his commitment to the legal profession, the administration of justice and professional ethics, expressing confidence that justice would prevail.
The disciplinary proceedings arose from Complaint No. BB/LPDC/1314/2024 filed by Chris Alashi against Gadzama and Ulegede over their involvement in the legal representation of victims of the 2001 Zaki Biam massacre.
The Zaki Biam incident followed a military operation launched in Benue State after the killing of 19 soldiers. During the operation, hundreds of villagers were reportedly killed and several communities destroyed.
The victims later sued the Federal Government and, in 2007, the Federal High Court awarded them N41.8bn in compensation. Although the government initially appealed the judgment, the parties later negotiated an out-of-court settlement of N8bn.
(The Whistler)