Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has sacked the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice in the state, Cyprian Akaolisa.

The Commissioner of Information in Imo State, Declan Emelumba, announced this in a statement on Monday.

Mr Emelumba said the sack of the attorney-general took immediate effect.

“The erstwhile commissioner has been directed to hand over all government property under his care to the state solicitor general and permanent secretary, Ministry of Justice, immediately,” the information commissioner said.

No reason was given for the sack of the commissioner.

Mr Akolisa, a lawyer, was first appointed into the position on 17 June 2020.

Mr Uzodinma later on 12 May 2021 announced the sacking of 20 of his commissioners, including Mr Akaolisa.

The former commissioner was later in 2021 suspended for five years by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for professional misconduct.

He was accused of using his position as attorney-general and justice commissioner to facilitate the bail of a murder suspect, who had been remanded in prison and standing trial since 2013.

The suspect, Paulinus Nwanochie, had been standing trial over the murder of Alphonsus Akuma, from Orlu Local Government Area of the state.

Later in August 2021, Mr Uzodinma said Mr Akaolisa was never among the commissioners dropped when the executive council was dissolved in May of that year.

Mr Emelumba said at the time that “an error” occurred when the dissolution of the cabinet was announced to include Mr Akaolisa.

Meanwhile, in April last month, the Supreme Court, ruling on an appeal by Mr Akaolisa, overturned the five-year ban on the former commissioner.