By TAIYE AGBAJE

The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has awarded a cost of N200,000 against a lawyer, Mr A. O. Amagwula, for stalling the hearing of a petition against his client, Stella Oyiogu.

The Chairman of the LPDC, retired Justice Is’haq Bello, gave the order after Amagwula told the committee that he was not ready to proceed with the hearing of the petition.

The Incorporated Trustees of Barewa Old Boys Association had petitioned the LPDC in 2021, alleging that Oyiogu, also a legal practitioner, fraudulently represented the alumni body at FCT High Court in a land dispute, without authorisation.

She was alleged to have joined the association in a case, filed a defence on its behalf but abandoned the case leading to a judgment against the association.

Oyiogu, in her response, had claimed that she was engaged by Ibrahim Salmanu, who was an attorney of the alumni body, and that the land in issue was revoked in 2005 without the association ever challenging the revocation.

However, in a reply, the association denied that Ibrahim Salmanu was its agent and receiving any notice of revocation of the land that was allocated to it since 1983.

It submitted that the land was allocated to other entities while its title to the land was never revoked or withdrawn.

When the case came up for hearing, Amagwula, who appeared for Oyiogu before LPDC, informed the committee that he was not ready to proceed because he had filed an affidavit showing that Ms Oyiogu and others were already charged before a court.

He said they were charged before an FCT High Court for criminal offences in relation to the same land and as such, the LPDC lacked the jurisdiction to hear the petition against his client.

He also informed the committee that he wanted to file a preliminary objection and subpoena some witnesses, which he could not do because his client was on hospital admission.

In his ruling, Justice Is’haq Bello, initially directed the counsel to pay N500,000 as cost to the applicant for not being diligent in handling the case that had been pending against his client since 2021.

However, Amagwula pleaded that he was doing the case pro bono for a professional colleague.

The committee subsequently reduced the cost to N2000,000 on grounds of leniency.

He was warned to guard against stalling future trial and assist his client “whose psyche has been under torment since the petition was filed in 2021.”

The matter was adjourned until March 11 for hearing. (NAN)