Governor Hope Uzodinma has sacked Imo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Cyprian O.C. Akaolisa, with immediate effect.
The announcement was made on Monday, May 26, by the Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, who directed Akaolisa to hand over all government property to the State Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice.
No official reason was given for the dismissal, but it comes shortly after the removal of the state’s Chief Judge, Theophilus Nzeukwu, following a recommendation by the National Judicial Council over issues surrounding his appointment. The move is seen as part of a wider shake-up in the state’s judiciary.
Akaolisa, a close ally of Governor Uzodinma, had been part of the cabinet since the governor’s first term. In 2021, he was suspended for five years by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee over alleged misconduct, but the Supreme Court overturned that decision in April 2025.
A replacement for Akaolisa has not yet been named.