LPDC Suspends Senior Advocate Joe-Kyari Gadzama for Three Years Over Professional Misconduct

Nigeria’s Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has suspended prominent Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Joe-Kyari Gadzama from legal practice for three years, marking another high-profile disciplinary action against a senior member of the legal profession. The ruling comes barely weeks after the suspension of another SAN, Mike Ozekhome, by the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC) in a separate disciplinary matter.

According to the LPDC’s decision, Gadzama was found guilty of professional misconduct arising from his role in litigation connected to the Zaki Biam killings in Benue State. The disciplinary committee concluded that his conduct breached the Rules of Professional Conduct governing Nigerian lawyers and ordered his suspension from legal practice for three years. Another lawyer involved in the matter, Ocha Ulegede, was also sanctioned.

The complaint stemmed from legal proceedings instituted on behalf of victims of the 2001 Zaki Biam military operation, one of Nigeria’s most controversial human rights cases. While the LPDC has not publicly released the full text of its ruling, reports indicate that the committee found sufficient grounds to impose disciplinary sanctions after reviewing the evidence presented during the proceedings.

Gadzama has rejected the decision, insisting that it is legally flawed and announcing that he has instructed his legal team to file an immediate appeal at the Supreme Court of Nigeria. In a statement, the senior lawyer argued that his right to practise law remains intact pending the outcome of the appeal and maintained that the LPDC’s findings should not be regarded as final.

The latest decision follows another major disciplinary development in June, when the LPPC suspended Mike Ozekhome’s SAN rank pending the conclusion of disciplinary proceedings against him. That move generated widespread debate within Nigeria’s legal community, with some lawyers questioning whether the LPPC acted prematurely while related proceedings were still before the LPDC.

Legal analysts say the suspension of Gadzama reinforces the determination of disciplinary authorities to enforce ethical standards regardless of a lawyer’s status or seniority. The LPDC is the statutory body responsible for investigating and sanctioning professional misconduct by legal practitioners, while the LPPC oversees the conferment and preservation of the prestigious SAN rank.

The ruling is expected to attract significant attention across Nigeria’s legal profession, particularly because Gadzama is one of the country’s best-known advocates with decades of courtroom experience. If the Supreme Court eventually overturns the LPDC’s decision, it could have important implications for the scope of the committee’s disciplinary powers. If upheld, however, it would stand as one of the most significant sanctions imposed on a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in recent years.