Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has sacked the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Cyprian Akaolisa, from his position with immediate effect.
The announcement was made on Monday by the Commissioner for Information, Public Orientation, and Strategy, Declan Emelumba.
Although the state government did not give a reason for the decision, Akaolisa has been directed to return all government belongings in his possession to the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice without delay.
Before Uzodimma became governor, Akaolisa was known to be one of his strong allies and was even considered as a potential deputy governor in 2019.
Their relationship later experienced strain, especially during a cabinet reshuffle in which Akaolisa was mistakenly believed to have been sacked.
At the time, the government clarified that he remained in office.
Akaolisa’s legal career also faced challenges.
In 2021, the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee suspended him from practising law for five years.
The committee found him guilty of using his influence to secure the bail of a murder suspect, Paulinus Nwanochie, who was facing trial for allegedly killing Alphonsus Akuma in Orsu Local Government Area.
The two were said to be from the same area, and the suspect had been in custody since 2013.
Before taking office as Attorney General, Akaolisa had reportedly served as Nwanochie’s lawyer.
However, in April 2025, the Supreme Court of Nigeria overturned the five-year ban.
The court ruled that the earlier judgment by the disciplinary committee was flawed and restored Akaolisa’s right to practice law.
A five-member panel of the apex court concluded that the appeal against the suspension had merit.
