₦airaland Forum

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted a 55-year-old man, John Nwawuto Anoruo, for impersonating a legal practitioner and using a forged Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal while handling legal matters for clients.

The conviction followed an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which discovered that Anoruo had been presenting himself as a qualified lawyer despite never being called to the Nigerian Bar.

According to court proceedings, the defendant operated a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, Lagos. The case came to light after he submitted a petition and a subsequent withdrawal letter on behalf of clients, both of which allegedly carried a forged NBA seal. Investigators later found that the Supreme Court enrolment number on the seal belonged to another legal practitioner.

EFCC investigators told the court that Anoruo admitted obtaining the counterfeit NBA seal from a business centre in Lagos. He also acknowledged that although he earned a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, he never attended the Nigerian Law School and was therefore not qualified to practise law in Nigeria.

Further investigations revealed that the defendant earned about ₦7.5 million from the legal brief linked to the case. Evidence presented in court showed that part of the money was paid to a qualified lawyer who handled aspects of the matter on his behalf.

Justice A.M. Lawal convicted Anoruo after he pleaded guilty to charges bordering on impersonation and the use of a counterfeit NBA seal. The court imposed fines of ₦120,000 and ₦150,000 on the two counts, bringing the total penalty to ₦270,000.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of the forged NBA seal and legal practitioner’s attire recovered from the defendant to the Federal Government through the EFCC.

The case has renewed concerns about professional impersonation and the use of forged credentials, with legal experts urging members of the public to verify the status of anyone offering legal services before engaging them.

orikoku:
Oga, watery beans await you for prison. You have enjoyed the proceeds, go and enjoy the watery beans too.

sandra2025:
The country is so hard that people are ready to do anything to survive.
See what BAT has put us into.
Let's vote wisely.
Obi should do the trick.
My PVC is ready.

Eba50:
they even need encouragement. yall may be surprised the number of professional lawyers he defeated b4..glad he was asked to pay fine

Thundafireseun:
Obi will never be able to defeat Atiku in any election in Nigeria...

And Atiku will never be able to defeat Jagaban in any election... Stop deceiving ur self

orikoku:
Oga, watery beans await you for prison. You have enjoyed the proceeds, go and enjoy the watery beans too.

sandra2025:
The country is so hard that people are ready to do anything to survive.
See what BAT has put us into.
Let's vote wisely.
Obi should do the trick.
My PVC is ready.

sandra2025:
Both of them made early mistakes by not joining forces together.
In the last election, the total votes for both of them would have toppled BAT if them formed a coalition.
Assuming Obi deputies as a Vice President to Atiku, they would have been in power way back.
Selfish interests from both of them, would lead BAT to drag Nigeria 20 years backwards once again.

orikoku:
Oga, watery beans await you for prison. You have enjoyed the proceeds, go and enjoy the watery beans too.

orikoku:
Oga, watery beans await you for prison. You have enjoyed the proceeds, go and enjoy the watery beans too.

saintruky:
Omo be like anybody can claim to be lawyer o

sandra2025:
The country is so hard that people are ready to do anything to survive.
See what BAT has put us into.
Let's vote wisely.
Obi should do the trick.
My PVC is ready.