It was learned that Ukodhiko recruited Ejumejowo’s services after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sealed his assets and frozen 48 of his bank accounts, and the legislator allegedly failed to pay the attorney the agreed-upon legal fees.
Jonathan Ukodhiko, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker representing the Isoko federal constituency in Delta State, has been sued in a high court of the Federal Capital Territory in the Abuja judicial division for allegedly owing Anthony Ejumejowo, an attorney based in Abuja, N99.6 million in professional fees.
It was learned that Ukodhiko recruited Ejumejowo’s services after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sealed his assets and frozen 48 of his bank accounts, and the legislator allegedly failed to pay the attorney the agreed-upon legal fees.
In response to an alleged unsuccessful business transaction that resulted in the sealing of his assets and the freezing of more than 40 of his bank accounts pursuant to a court order, the EFCC began a manhunt for Ukodhiko in June.
The order was issued by a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in a case with the file number FHC/PH/CS/88/2023. The injunction has now been revoked, though.
In a lawsuit with the case number FCT/HC/CV/6943/2023 that was filed in Abuja by Ejumejowo’s attorneys, T. J. Jack (Miss) and E. Agbaragu (Esq), Anthony Ejumejowo is the claimant, Jonathan Ukodhiko is the first defendant, and his two companies, Joeny Integrated Services Limited and Joeny Holdings Limited are the second and third defendants, respectively.
The claimant claimed in a 33-paragraph statement of claims that on June 4, 2023, at around 8:20 am, the first defendant called and asked him to represent him, the second and third defendants, and them in a legal dispute they had with the EFCC and other parties.
Before receiving the aforementioned call from the first defendant, the claimant claims that he had absolutely no prior personal relationship with him.
He claimed that the first defendant told him that he got his phone number from a friend of theirs named Mr. Omoviro Williams Kingibe, and that the first defendant also told him that the EFCC had declared him and other management staff members of the second and third defendants to be wanted, and that their Port Harcourt offices had been sealed.
He claimed that the first defendant informed him that his bank accounts, along with those of the second and third defendants, had also been frozen.
He claimed that the first defendant informed him of the creditors of the first, second, and third defendants’ grand plan to have the EFCC arrest and detain him in order to prevent his inauguration as a member of the House of Representatives, which was scheduled for June 13, 2023. As a result, he claimed, he was afraid to return to Nigeria from Scotland, where he had travelled for his daughter’s graduation ceremony, because he believed that would prevent him from participating in the grand plan.
According to the lawyer, he begged him to take all necessary steps to prevent, among other things, his arrest and imprisonment by the EFCC.
The claimant asserted that among other things, during their correspondence with the first defendant between June 4, 2023 and June 8, 2023, he provided legal services, including oral legal advice over the phone and written documents sent to the first defendant and the Managing Director of the second and third defendants.
The first defendant and one Moses Unuavboroh, an employee of the second and third defendants, have allegedly avoided him ever since they received the invoice for his expert services, claims the attorney.
The following list summarises the claimant’s allegations against the first, second, and third defendants jointly and severally:
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court that the claimant is entitled to payment of his professional fee for the legal services provided to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendant, who briefed the claimant on behalf of himself, the 2nd, and 3rd defendant to represent them at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and to provide them with legal advice.
“A DECLARATION of this honourable court that the claimant is entitled to the payment of N49,600,000.00 (forty-nine million, six hundred thousand naira) alone from the first, second, and third defendant as the rest of his professional fees.
An order from this honourable court instructing the first, second, and third defendants to pay the claimant the sum of N49,600,000.00 (forty-nine million, six hundred thousand naira) as the remaining balance of his professional costs.
“AN ORDER OF THIS HONEST COURT ORDERING THE FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD DEFENDANTS TO PAY TO THE CLAIMANT THE AMOUNT OF N10,000,000.00 (ten million naira) ONLY AS GENERAL DAMAGES. just as special damages, N20,000, 000 (twenty million naira). Only exemplary damages of N20,000, 000 (twenty million naira) would be paid. To pay a sum to the claimant equal to 10% pre-judgment interest annually on the sum of N49,600,000 (forty-nine million, six hundred thousand naira) only, starting in June 2023 and continuing until judgement is rendered.
“AN ORDER of this Honourable Court directing the first and second defendants to pay the claimant an amount representing 10% post-judgment interest per year on the decision from the date of the delivery of the judgement of this Honourable Court until the liquidation of the same.”
Ukodhiko was unavailable when our correspondent called him, so we were unable to get a response from him. Also, he didn’t respond to the text message that was sent to him.
