Lagos lawyer accused of swindling N20m from client cleared by DPP

Thursday, January 22, 2026 - The Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions has cleared a legal practitioner, Olabiyi Ademola, of an allegation of stealing levelled against him by a former client, Ademola Louis.

Louis had petitioned the Office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, alleging that he paid the sum of N20m to Olabiyi to enable him pay certain investors linked to his business, but that the lawyer failed to carry out the instruction and instead converted the money to his personal use.

However, Olabiyi denied the allegation, insisting that the N20m was part-payment of his professional legal fees for services rendered to the complainant in several matters.

Following the petition, the police sought legal advice from the Office of the DPP in a letter referenced CB/3514/X/LEG-ADM/BDPP/VOL.6/62, forwarded alongside the petition and the suspect’s response on December 8, 2025.

In a legal advice referenced LJP/MISC/2025/532 and signed by the Lagos State DPP, Dr. Babajide Martins, the office concluded that the allegation did not disclose a prima facie case of stealing.

“After carefully considering the facts available in the duplicate case file, this Office is of the opinion that the facts are insufficient to establish a prima facie case of stealing contrary to Section 287(8) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 against the suspect,” the advice stated.

The DPP explained that the complainant’s company operated an agricultural investment scheme which ran into difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to disputes between the complainant and several investors. It was in that context that the complainant engaged Olabiyi to represent him in multiple legal matters.

While the complainant claimed that the N20m was meant for onward payment to investors, the DPP found no evidence in the case file to support that claim.

“There is nothing in the case file to indicate that the money was meant to pay the company’s investors. Rather, the facts clearly showed different services rendered to the complainant,” the DPP stated.

Relying on Section 280 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State and several Supreme Court authorities on the ingredients of the offence of stealing, the DPP concluded that the available facts failed to establish criminal intent.

“It is clear this is a civil dispute, as there is no criminal intent on the part of the suspect from the facts in the case file,” the advice added.

Consequently, the DPP advised non-prosecution of Olabiyi and directed that he be discharged and released if still in custody. The office also confirmed that the duplicate case file would be retained for record purposes, in line with the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, 2015.