A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and fined a 55-year-old man, John Nwawuto Anoruo, N270,000 for posing as a lawyer and using a forged Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal.
Justice A.M. Lawal delivered the judgment on Tuesday after Anoruo pleaded guilty to a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and possession of a counterfeit NBA seal.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Anoruo, who runs a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, was arrested after investigations revealed that he had been presenting himself as a qualified legal practitioner despite never being called to the Nigerian Bar.
According to the commission, the case came to light after Anoruo submitted a petition to the EFCC on behalf of clients against Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited. Investigators later discovered that both the petition and a subsequent withdrawal letter bore a forged NBA seal.
During investigations, Anoruo admitted obtaining the fake seal from a business centre in Lagos. He also told investigators that although he earned a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2018, he never attended the Nigerian Law School.
An EFCC investigator, Umar Faruk Ahmad, told the court that the Supreme Court enrolment number on the seal belonged to another lawyer. He added that the defendant admitted making about N7.5 million from the legal brief and paid N1.5 million to a qualified lawyer to handle the matter on his behalf.
The court also heard that Anoruo arrived at the EFCC office wearing a lawyer’s robe during interrogation, while a search of his residence led to the recovery of the forged NBA seal.
Following his guilty plea, the prosecution tendered several exhibits, including the counterfeit NBA seal, the lawyer’s robe, the defendant’s statement, and correspondence between the EFCC, the Supreme Court and the Body of Benchers confirming that Anoruo was not a lawyer.
In his plea for leniency, defence counsel G.E. Demkemefa urged the court to impose a fine instead of a prison sentence, describing the defendant as a first-time offender and the sole breadwinner of his family.
Justice Lawal fined Anoruo N120,000 on the first count and N150,000 on the second count, bringing the total fine to N270,000.
The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the lawyer’s robe and the forged NBA seal to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
(The Whistler)