By Adesina Soyooye
In the month of February, 2022, he was in the news, making headlines with his stiff opposition to the aspiration of Legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, to the Chairmanship of the strategic and prestigious Body of Benchers, BoB.
He had gone to a Court in Porthacourt; Rivers State, where he resided, seeking for Olanipekun’s disqualification. He had also petitioned the President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Olumide Akpata, asking him to shoot down Olanipekun’s aspiration to the top job, if he, Olanipekun, did not withdraw from the race. He alleged that Olanipekun was not qualified to hold the office due to alleged misconduct. He cited an example with the Governorship election case in Bayelsa where Olanipekun was not only chided by the Supreme Court, but was slammed with a hefty fine of N30million, along with another Legal Iuminary, Chief Afe Babalola. Both were asked to pay the N30m each from their pockets. The fines remain unpaid, according to the petition, till date.
On Tuesday, March 5, mercurial, high profile lawyer, Lucius Ezeakamadu Nwosu, SAN, passed on.
Ironically, he died a few days after Olanipekun became, against his will, the Chairman of the BoB.
A native of Ezinihitte, Mbaise, Imo State, his death has diminished the number of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, from Imo State.
While alive, he was a terror to Oil companies and was a leading oil and gas lawyer. He represented Ogoni, Rivers State, in its case with Shell over oil spill whereby Ogoni was awarded an unprecedented N45.9 billion in compensation. He also got a compensation to the tune of N37.6 billion for the Odi people agaist the Federal Government for the invasion of the Community during the President Olusegun Obasanjo Government. Nwosu secured a compensation to the tune of N81billion, for some communities in Akwa Ibom State in a suit against NNPC and Mobil Oil. He was, indeed, a frontline oil and environmental pollution rights Lawyer.
Nwosu handled other high profile cases. He was the Counsel to former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloysius Katsina-Ala, when the CJN was sued by the then President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, over his suspension by the National Judicial Council, NJC.
His family, in a statement which announced his death, said he passed on in Abuja, peacefully, in his sleep.
The statement titled
“Transition Announcement issued by Mr. Akandu Emmanuel Nwosu reads:
“With hearts filled with grief, but with gratitude to God for a purpose-driven and impactful life, we announce the death of our dear father, husband, brother, uncle, cousin, confidant and family head, Lucius Ezeaka Nwosu, SAN, who passed onto glory peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday the 6th of April, 2022 in Abuja FCT at the age of 69.
“We request prayers for his family and ask that their privacy be respected at this time.
“Burial arrangements will be announced by the family.”
Nwosu was born on January 30, 1953 to the Nwosuagwunwanguma Family of Uhuala, Udo in Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. He read law at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, and graduated in 1980. He was called to Bar in 2021.
He was the Principal Partner of Messrs Lucius Nwosu (SAN) & Partners, a Port Harcourt based full-service law firm. He was, at a time, a Law University teacher, and holds a PhD.
He was married to the lovely Nneka, with whom he had children.
