The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has suspended Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Joe-Kyari Gadzama from legal practice for three years over his involvement in a dispute arising from compensation awarded to victims of the 2001 Zaki Biam killings in Benue State.
The committee also imposed a two-year suspension on lawyer Ocha Ulegede after finding both legal practitioners guilty of violating the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023.
The sanctions followed a petition, marked BB/LPDC/1314/2024, filed by lawyer Chris Alash. The LPDC delivered its ruling on Wednesday, concluding that both lawyers breached professional ethical standards.
As part of its decision, the committee directed that all heads of superior courts of record across the country be notified of the sanctions, which take immediate effect.
The disciplinary proceedings stem from a long-running legal battle over compensation awarded to victims of the Zaki Biam military invasion.
Following the incident, victims and survivors instituted legal action against the Federal Government before the Federal High Court in Enugu, seeking damages for the loss of lives, destruction of property and alleged violations of their fundamental human rights.
In July 2007, Justice Lewis Allagoa awarded the plaintiffs N41.8 billion in damages. Although the Federal Government initially appealed the judgment, both parties later entered negotiations and reportedly agreed to an out-of-court settlement of N8 billion.
The settlement later became controversial after reports suggested that the compensation might be paid to the Benue State Government under the administration of former Governor Gabriel Suswam instead of directly to the affected victims. In 2015, senior lawyers Itsay Sagay and Mike Ozekhome publicly advised the Federal Government against routing the compensation through the state government.
The events giving rise to the compensation claim date back to October 2001, when soldiers launched a military operation in several communities around Zaki Biam in Benue State following the killing of 19 soldiers in the area. The operation reportedly claimed the lives of more than 200 villagers and left widespread destruction of homes and other property.
Reacting to the LPDC’s decision, Gadzama rejected the findings, describing the allegations against him as baseless.
According to him, the petition accused him of unlawfully taking over another lawyer’s brief, soliciting clients and improperly appropriating professional fees.
He insisted that he acted on the direct instructions of the judgment creditors and carried out his responsibilities within the bounds of the law.
“I have been informed that the Committee found against me and directed that I be suspended from legal practice for a period of three years,” he said.
“While I am yet to receive or review the certified true copy of the direction, I have instructed my legal team to file an immediate appeal.”
“I wish to reassure my clients, colleagues, and the general public that upon filing the appeal within the time prescribed by law, my right to practise remains unaffected pending the final determination of the appeal, in accordance with the Legal Practitioners Act.”
Gadzama further maintained that the documentary evidence presented before the committee did not justify the conclusions reached in the disciplinary proceedings.
