A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and fined a 55-year-old man, John Nwawuto Anoruo, N270,000 for impersonating a legal practitioner and using a forged Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, seal in legal transactions.
The conviction was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Head of Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Dele Oyewale.
Justice A.M. Lawal convicted Anoruo after he pleaded guilty to a two count charge bordering on impersonation and fraudulent use of a counterfeit NBA seal.
The EFCC said the defendant, who operated a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, Lagos, came under investigation after submitting a petition to the anti graft agency on behalf of clients against Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited.
According to the Commission, investigations later revealed that the petition and a subsequent letter of withdrawal bore a forged NBA seal, which the defendant admitted obtaining from an undisclosed business centre in Lagos.
The anti graft agency further disclosed that Anoruo claimed he earned a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2018 through evening classes but never attended the Nigerian Law School, meaning he was never qualified to practise law in Nigeria.
The prosecution counsel, Saadatu Mahmud Yabo, called EFCC investigator Umar Faruk Ahmad, who told the court that the Supreme Court enrolment number on the NBA seal used by the defendant belonged to another legal practitioner.
Ahmad said, “Investigations revealed that the Supreme Court enrolment number on the NBA seal used by the defendant belonged to another legal practitioner.”
He also informed the court that the defendant admitted obtaining the counterfeit NBA seal from a business centre in Lagos and confirmed that he had not been called to the Nigerian Bar.
The witness further testified that Anoruo earned N7.5 million from the legal brief, paying N1.5 million to a qualified lawyer to handle the matter on his behalf, while a search of his residence led to the recovery of the forged NBA seal and legal practitioner’s attire.
After reviewing the evidence, Justice Lawal held, “In view of the plea of the defendant, the defendant is hereby convicted on the two counts.”
Although the defence pleaded for leniency, describing Anoruo as a first time offender and the breadwinner of a family of seven, the court imposed fines of N120,000 on the first count and N150,000 on the second count, bringing the total fine to N270,000.
The court also ordered the forfeiture of the counterfeit NBA seal and the legal practitioner’s attire recovered from the defendant to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
