Several Nigerian lawyers who practised in the United States have been suspended or disbarred following disciplinary proceedings over professional misconduct, including fraud, theft, dishonesty and unauthorised legal practice.
Documents reviewed by Newsmen showed that the sanctions were imposed by various state and federal legal authorities over offences committed by the affected lawyers.
Among those sanctioned are:
Alexander Osondu Akpodiete
Mr Akpodiete, who practised in Florida, faced disciplinary proceedings between 2005 and 2008 over several violations. The allegations included contempt of court, failure to properly update a client on the progress of a case and unauthorised withdrawal of $1,000 from a credit card used by a client to pay legal fees. He was eventually disbarred by the Florida Supreme Court in 2010.
Taiwo A. Agbaje
Mr Agbaje, who was based in Maryland, was disbarred at both state and federal levels. The Executive Office for Immigration Review announced his debarment in June 2016 after the Board of Immigration Appeals relied on his Maryland disbarment.
His case involved conflict of interest, dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation. He had received $40,000 from a client for a real estate investment in Baltimore, with the court describing his conduct as dishonest and deceitful.
Cyril O. Chukwurah
A Texas-based lawyer, Mr Chukwurah was disbarred in 2015 after several disciplinary violations. He was found to have practised while under suspension, breached disciplinary orders in two other cases and failed to properly account for or deliver clients’ funds.
His disciplinary history was described as extensive, and he was also barred from practising before the Board of Immigration Appeals, immigration courts and the Department of Homeland Security.
Wilfred I. Aka
Mr Aka, a Los Angeles-based attorney and Certified Public Accountant, was disbarred in 2025 by the U.S. Tax Court and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
The action followed disciplinary proceedings in 2019 and 2020 and was linked to failures in his professional responsibilities to courts, clients and opposing counsel.
Chuck Odifu Egbune
Mr Egbune, who practised in Colorado, was suspended in 2023 before being disbarred in 2025.
His disbarment followed a finding that he continued practising law while suspended. He had represented his sister in court despite not holding a valid licence to practise, contrary to Colorado law.
Uchechi Okechukwu Nwakanma, aka Prince Nwakanma
Mr Nwakanma, based in Houston, Texas, was initially suspended in 2015 for failing to pay required fees and meet continuing legal education requirements.
Two years later, the Board of Immigration Appeals, immigration courts and Department of Homeland Security barred him from practice. The Supreme Court of Kansas subsequently found the disbarment appropriate.
Chinyere Alex Ogoke
Mr Ogoke, a Chicago-based lawyer licensed in 2005, was disbarred in 2021 after continuing to practise despite an earlier suspension by the Board of Immigration Appeals.
He filed notices of appearance for 11 immigration clients while falsely stating that no order restricted his right to practise. The immigration authorities said his deliberate disregard of the suspension undermined the integrity of the legal system.
Ignatius Chukwuemeka Udeani
Mr Udeani, who practised in Bloomington, Minnesota, had faced disciplinary action since 2020, when he was indefinitely suspended.
The Minnesota Supreme Court disbarred him in January 2023. Authorities found that he failed to safeguard the interests of clients, including vulnerable immigrants, failed to return unearned legal fees and client funds, and did not properly cooperate with disciplinary investigations.
His Minnesota disbarment subsequently formed the basis for his removal from practice before U.S. immigration authorities.
John Udo
Mr Udo, who was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1995, was disbarred in Massachusetts and barred from practising before U.S. immigration tribunals in 2010.
A ten-count disciplinary petition accused him of misusing and stealing client funds, neglecting immigration cases involving vulnerable clients and abandoning his professional responsibilities.
Later that year, the Massachusetts Clients’ Security Board compensated 14 former clients after determining that Mr Udo had taken their money, failed to return settlement funds or collected fees without providing the agreed legal services.
Emeka M. Uyamadu
Mr Uyamadu, a Houston-based lawyer, was permanently disbarred in 2010 following felony convictions in Harris County, Texas.
He was convicted of stealing between $20,000 and $100,000 and of witness tampering. He was initially sentenced to 10 years in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, although the sentence was later suspended and replaced with 10 years of community supervision.
He was also fined $5,000 and ordered to spend 60 days in the Harris County Jail.
Owolabi Salis
Mr Salis, a U.S.-based Nigerian lawyer who gained international attention after reportedly becoming the first Nigerian to travel to space on June 29, was indicted in 2023.
He was later disbarred by the New York State Supreme Court following complaints from clients who accused him of defrauding them of tens of thousands of dollars.
Andrew Ndubisi Ucheomumu
Mr Ucheomumu, who had offices in Bethesda and Chevy Chase, Maryland, was disbarred in 2018 following multiple professional misconduct allegations.
The Maryland Court of Appeals found that he failed to adequately represent clients, did not refund at least $6,200 in unearned fees and made false or misleading statements during court proceedings.
Chukwu Uwakwe Oko
Mr Oko, who practised in Houston and Sugar Land, Texas, was disbarred in 2013.
The 133rd Judicial District Court of Harris County found that he breached professional rules relating to dishonesty, fraud, deceit and misrepresentation, as well as practising while his licence was invalid.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review also imposed disciplinary restrictions on his practice before immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Lloyd F. Ukwu
Mr Ukwu, who was based in the District of Columbia, was disbarred in 2009 after being found to have misappropriated a client’s money and forged the client’s signature.
His misconduct occurred while he was handling settlement proceeds in 2004. According to disciplinary findings, he settled a client’s case without authorisation, forged the client’s signature on a settlement cheque and took a substantial portion of the settlement for his personal use.
Anita C. Kanu, aka Anita C. Justin
Ms Kanu, a Nigerian lawyer based in Los Angeles, was disbarred by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in 2010.
Investigators found that she violated professional conduct rules by failing to refund unearned fees and making false or misleading statements about her services. The case involved fees she had promised to return to two clients if she failed to secure the immigration status they had hired her to obtain.
Her disbarment was subsequently upheld for practice before immigration authorities.
Benjamin Ndi
Mr Ndi, a New York-based lawyer, was disbarred in Maryland in 2018 over illegal practice, false statements about his qualifications and other professional violations.
Although licensed in New York, he was not authorised to practise in Maryland, where he provided immigration and other legal services. Authorities also found violations involving attorney trust accounts.
Mr Ndi failed to fully cooperate with the investigation, did not respond to discovery requests and failed to appear at key stages of the disciplinary proceedings. His name was consequently placed on Maryland’s list of attorneys excluded from practice, with the disbarment also upheld before U.S. immigration authorities.
Alake Johnson-Ford
Ms Johnson-Ford, who practised in the District of Columbia, was disbarred over what disciplinary authorities described as serious professional misconduct.
The allegations included misappropriating clients’ funds, dishonest and criminal conduct, failing to deliver money belonging to clients and failing to provide adequate legal representation.
She was first disbarred by the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in 2000. In 2021, the disciplinary board also imposed a five-year suspension on her practice before the Board of Immigration Appeals and immigration courts, citing the continuing effect of the earlier order.
Full List of Nigerian Lawyers Disbarred in the US Over Misconduct
19
