Alleged Professional Misconduct: Abuja attorney drags three lawyers to LPDC

Abuja lawyer and former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State, Silas Onu, has petitioned the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), asserting that the actions of Simeon Osaremen Airiohuodion, Esq; Stephen Ogbadu, Esq; and Peter Odion Aikiokhai, Esq. and Adejoh Leonard Esq. in condemning his professional engagement/communications with his client as forgery runs contrary to the expectation of a legal practitioner (s) and the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023.

Pointing out that section 74 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023 makes their misconduct punishable in accordance with the severity of the effect thereof, and Onu demanded “that justice be done for me and the legal profession on account of the unwarranted castigation and damage to my professional reputation and the entire noble legal profession.”

The full text of the petition dated 20th October, 2025, reads:

The Chairman.
Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC)
Plot 688, Institutions and Research District,
Jabi – Abuja.

Sir/Ma,

PETITION AGAINST MR. SIMEON OSEREMEN AIRIOHUODION, ESQ; STEPHEN OGBADU, ESQ. PETER ODION AIKIOKHAI, ESQ. AND ADEJOH LEONARD ESQ FOR ACTS CONSTITUTING PROFESSIONAL MISCONDUCT AS A LEGAL PRACTITIONER, CONTRARY TO SECTIONS 1, 15 (3)(B) AND SECTION 30 OF THE RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT FOR LEGAL PRACTITIONERS, 2023, MADE PURSUANT TO THE LEGAL PRACTITIONERS ACT (CAP L11, LFN, 2004) AND PUNISHABLE PURSUANT TO SECTION 74 OF THE SAID RULES.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

INTRODUCTION:
This is a personal petition which touches on my professional integrity as a Legal Practitioner, properly so called, and the reputation the Profession as a whole.

My name is Joseph Onu Silas, I was called to the Nigerian Bar in November 2009 and my Supreme Court Number is SCN067540. I have been in private practice since my call and have maintained the highest level of professionalism in the discharge of my calling as a legal practitioner. In the course of my practice, I have been privileged to represent many a client all of whom have never had any cause to complain about my services, in any form or manner. I have also declined briefs where I believed that the instruction went against my professional ethic or tends towards the commission of a crime. I could be stubborn in the pursuit of my belief and likely hurt the feelings of friends or associates in Bar politics and social commentary, but never to the extent of maligning to castigating any colleague or person, without concrete justification.

This petition is against the principal and team members of AIRIOHUODION LP of Suite 211, Anbex Plaza, 15 Ndola Crescent, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja (0805 560 2617), who are Simeon Oseremen Airiohuodion Esq., Stephen Ogbadu, Esq., Peter Odion Aihiokhai, Esq., and Adejoh Leonard Esq. (hereinafter referred to as the “Respondents”) for jointly impugning my professional integrity under the guise of offering legal services to their client, contrary to the ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct for legal Practitioners.

FACTS:

1. That pursuant to my handling of a brief for my client, DIG Moses Ambakina Jitoboh (now deceased) over his untimely and unlawful compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Police Force in 2023, he agreed to pay me a total of N62, 000, 000.00 (Sixty-two Million Naira), due to the political nature of the case as he believed that he was retired to prevent him from becoming the Inspector-General of Police. This agreement was reached even before I wrote any letter to the Police Service Commission, in the presence of his close friend – Mr. Parker Oche. However, the agreement was not immediately reduced into writing as we were also very close friends.
2. That my client (now deceased), in the course of the trial and my constant reminder for payment, asked that I included my fee in an update for the case, so that he can “collect the money” for me as he just sold a property in the United Kingdom and payment was to be made soon thereafter. I did as he directed and gave him the letter in the presence of Mr. Parker Oche, who was always with him. The letter was dated 17th October, 2024 and titled: “RE: SUIT NO. NICN/ABJ/274/2023 – MOSES AMBAKINA JITOBOH VS POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION”. A copy of the letter is herein attached and marked as annexture “A”.
3. That my client (now deceased) duly acknowledged the letter and promised that immediately after the judgment, I will receive the payment as he was due to travel for his medicals in London. However, the Court unilaterally shifted the date for judgment from 6th December, 2024 to 13th January, 2025. This got my client (now deceased) very agitated as he thought that the government was pressuring the Court and he suspended his travel until after the judgment in January. On assurances from me that I doubt if the court will be unfair to him, considering how the entire proceeding went, he agreed to travel on 30th December, 2024 for his medicals in London – this was a relieve for me as it also meant that I was going to get paid when he returns on the set date of Judgment being 13th January, 2025.
4. That unfortunately, my client’s health got bad and I did not have any idea of it until the morning of 27th December, 2024 when his immediate past Personal Assistant, CSP Chinedu Ajaka called in tears to inform me that his boss was dead on that same morning.
5. That in the early hours of Christmas day, my client replied to my Christmas greeting at about 3am and I didn’t even know that he did so from the hospital. Find attached a copy of the Christmas message munched from our WhatsApp exchanges, marked as annexture “B”.
6. That on the 13th of January, 2025, before the judgment was read by the Court, I duly informed the Court of the sudden passing of my client and the court went on to deliver its judgment after which the court also extended its condolence. The court gave judgment in favour of my client, reinstating him into the Police Force and awarding damages of N50, 000, 000 (Fifty Million Naira) against the Police Service Commission.
7. That I duly informed my client’s estate of this development, through his wife – Mrs. Barbara Jitoboh, and gave them a certified true copy of the judgment. A copy of the judgment is hereby attached and marked as annexture “C”.
8. That on the day I went to give Mrs. Jitoboh the copy of the said judgment,, she tried to engage my services for an adoption proceeding for her last to be adopted by her sister who resides in the United States of America and my response was for her to wait until my client was buried before raising such issues, as there were many other things she needed to be aware of. At this point she asked to know, out of curiosity and I hinted her of some works that I have done for her husband and also informed her of my outstanding fee and called on her to carry along his children that are of from her, in all that she will be doing, especially as she will need a letter of administration
9. That immediately after this, she cut off all communications with me and after the burial which took place in Bayelsa on 8th of March 2025, I gave her time to mourn. But realizing that she wasn’t interested in mourning her late husband as she was already immediately taking a chieftaincy title with the adverts out after the burial, I decided to write to his estate and her demanding the payment of my professional fee and attaching the letter I sent to him in that regard (annexture “A”) and a follow up letter dated April 3rd 2025 and April 29 2025, respectively. Copies of the letter are herein attached and marked as annextures “D1” and “D2”.
10. That she ignored both letters until I instructed a lawyer to file an action to recover my fee under the undefended list procedure before she got the Respondents to file a notice of her intention to defend the said suit.
11. That on the 4th of July, 2025 even before the suit for recovery of my professional fee was assigned to any judge, the principal Respondent Simeon Oseremen Airiohuodion Esq. called my number several times and sent messages that he wanted to meet with me on that day. But I was only able to return his calls and text message on the next day being 5th July 2025. I gave him a location to meet, but he claimed that the day was tight for him and then undertook to take service for a process that was not even assigned to any court and when I raised concern about his request or wanting service of a process that was yet to be assigned, he said to me that they were in control of the file’s movement and I should not bother myself about that. This he said as if to get me rattled about the success of my case. Munched proof of my call log on the 4th and 5th of July 2025, together with messages from the principal Respondent are herein attached and marked as annextures “E1”, “E2”, “E3” and “E4”.
12. That upon his continued insistence to be served, I referred him to my lawyer for further discussions as I was not the person handling my own case. He continued disturbing my lawyer – Mr. Obioma Ezenwobodo, Esq. who had to refer him to the court bailiff after the matter was finally assigned to a judge.
13. That to my consternation, I saw the Notice of Intention to Defend filed by the Respondents hinged on a manufactured ground of fraud, which was never raised by the Estate of my deceased client or his wife as they had the opportunity to raise this issue when I wrote them the letters referred to in paragraph 9 of this petition (annextures “D1” and “D2”), indicating that the Respondents have developed a defence for their client in order to frustrate the payment of my professional fee and malign my professional integrity, together with the reputation of the Nigerian Legal Profession.
14. That as if their manufactured defence was not enough, the Respondents, while preparing their Statement of Defence (matter was transferred to General Cause List to afford them the opportunity to proof the alleged fraud) they quickly filed a Petition against me at the office of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Intelligence Department (FID), dated 14th October, 2025 and received on the same date, in which they claimed that I had forged the signature of my client (now deceased) on the letter referred to in paragraph 2 (annexture “A”) by “super-imposing” it on the said letter, while also claiming in the same letter that the signature “does not belong to him”, referring to my deceased client. The petition against me to the Police is herein attached and marked as annexture “F”.
15. That the parameter or basis of their claim is that my deceased client did not inform his wife of the document and they could not find a copy of the said letter in his file.
16. That surprisingly, the Respondents proceeded to attach the petition in their Statement of Defence as their proof of evidence that I had forged the letter which I gave to my client (now deceased) in respect of my professional fee.
17. That in paragraph 2 of the said annexture “F”, the Respondents pretended as if they were not a party in the suit filed by me, in which they have already responded and gotten the matter transferred to the General Cause List, by stating thus “Our clients’ attention was drawn to a Statement of Claim filed by Silas Joseph Onu. Esq and his law firm, Shield and Sword Consult, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja…” clearly intended to mislead the Police and use the institution to intimidate me into abandoning my lawful entitlement.
18. That the estate of my deceased client is at liberty to seek clarification on the authenticity of the signature of their late benefactor to protect the estate, but are not at liberty to impugn the integrity of anyone, not just me, until they have ascertained the veracity of their suspicion.
19. That the entire claim of fraud or forgery is without basis and aimed at simply evading payment of my professional fee, which is being actively aided by the Respondents.
20. That I have done many works for my deceased client for which I was duly paid and was on another case that was filed but had not commenced before his demise, for which I have made no claims as no agreement was reached on that suit for defamation.
21. That it is discourteous and a misconduct for a legal practitioner, properly so called, to provide such a damaging form of service to his client against his colleague and the profession at large, considering the clear provision of section 1 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023 which provides thus:

A lawyer shall uphold and observe the rule of law, promote and foster the course of justice, maintain a high standard of professional conduct, and shall not engage in any conduct which is unbecoming of a legal practitioner.

22. That a legal practitioner is duty bound as required by section 15 (3)(b) of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023 not to:

File a suit, assert a position, conduct a defence, delay a trial, or take over an action on behalf of his client when he knows or ought reasonably to know that such action would serve merely to harass or maliciously injure another.

23. That I also know that section 30 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023 recognizes that a lawyer is an officer of the court when it provided thus:

A lawyer is an officer of the court and, accordingly, he shall not do any act or conduct himself in any manner that may obstruct, delay or adversely affect the administration of justice.

CONCLUSION AND PRAYER:
The actions of the Respondents in condemning my professional engagement/communications with my client as forgery runs contrary to the expectation of a legal practitioner (s) and the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023, especially Rules 1, 15 (3)(b) and Rule 30 of the said Rules. That having been placed on record, section 74 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners, 2023 makes their misconduct punishable in accordance with the severity of the effect thereof and I humbly and I great pains, demand that justice be done for me and the legal profession on the account of the unwarranted castigation and damage to my professional reputation and the entire noble legal profession. Therefore, I pray that the names of the Respondents herein, be struck out of the roll of legal practitioners in Nigeria.

Sincerely,

Joseph Onu Silas, Esq.
Applicant