The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee has advanced the need to protect the integrity of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria rank as the reason for suspending the one held by constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome.
It issued the suspension order pending the determination of disciplinary proceedings against him.
The decision was taken at the LPPC’s 173rd General Meeting held on June 23, 2026.
In a statement signed by the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and Secretary of the LPPC, Kabir Akanbi, on Wednesday, the committee said the suspension was approved pursuant to Paragraph 26(6) of the Guidelines for the Conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The statement read, “The Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee (LPPC), at its 173rd General Meeting held on 23rd June 2026, approved the suspension of Chief Mike Ozekhome, from the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.”
It added that the action was taken “pending the final determination of the disciplinary proceedings, presently before the Disciplinary and Ethics Sub-Committee of the LPPC and other proceedings.”
According to the committee, the suspension was taken to safeguard the “integrity, dignity, and prestige of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria while due consideration is given to the matters under review.”
The LPPC directed Ozekhome to desist from presenting himself as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria during the period of suspension.
The committee further said it remained committed to “upholding the highest standards of professional ethics, integrity, and discipline within the legal profession,” and to “ensuring that the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria continues to command public confidence and respect.”
The suspension comes amid a string of legal troubles involving the senior lawyer in recent months.
In January, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission filed criminal charges against Ozekhome over allegations of fraud and forgery linked to a disputed property at 79 Randall Avenue, Neasden, London.
The case was subsequently taken over by the Attorney-General of the Federation, while prosecutors alleged that forged documents, including a Nigerian passport, were used to support claims of ownership of the property.
The London dispute drew international attention after a UK First-tier Property Tribunal dismissed claims advanced by Ozekhome and others, finding evidence of “fraud, impersonation, and forged documents” surrounding the ownership of the house.
Meanwhile, in March, the Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the final forfeiture of the London property to the Federal Government, after no claimant successfully established ownership.
