Forgery: ACP Tells Court How Lawyer Allegedly Took Over Her Ikorodu Property
Kehinde Adeleye
An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Braide, has told the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja how her lawyer friend, Chinwe Onuoha, allegedly converted her residential property in Ikorodu into an industrial factory and used forged documents to obtain a loan from the Bank of Industry.
Braide, who appeared as a prosecution witness, gave the evidence before Justice Hakeem Oshodi while being led in testimony by the prosecutor, Emmanuel Jackson.
Onuoha and others said to be at large are facing a 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and uttering of false documents.
The prosecution alleged that Onuoha forged a lease agreement dated February 12, 2018, which she allegedly submitted to the Bank of Industry to secure a loan facility using Braide’s property without her consent.
Testifying in court, Braide said she had known Onuoha since 2011 and that their relationship had grown so close that she regarded the lawyer as a family member.
“I met the defendant in 2011, and we became very close friends. She was like a family member, visited my house, stayed for days, and even travelled abroad with my family,” she said.
Braide told the court that in 2019, Onuoha contacted her after she was detained at a police station in Ogun State following a dispute with her landlord over eviction.
According to the witness, she went to the police station, secured Onuoha’s release and discovered that the lawyer’s belongings had been thrown out by her landlord.
Braide said she subsequently offered Onuoha temporary accommodation at her four-bedroom residential property with two sitting rooms in Ikorodu.
She told the court that she built the property after returning from a peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2008.
“I allowed her to stay for three months so she could find another place. I introduced her to the family I bought the land from as my sister and gave them money to clean the house before she moved in,” she said.
However, Braide said the three-month arrangement extended to more than a year, adding that she did not ask Onuoha to leave until 2021 when insecurity in her home state prompted her to request the property for her brother’s family.
The witness said Onuoha eventually vacated the property, but their communication subsequently broke down.
Braide further told the court that in January 2022, she visited the property with her driver and some elders and was shocked to discover that it had allegedly been converted into an industrial facility known as “Shearwater Factory.”
“In January 2022, after the New Year celebrations, I went to inspect the property with my driver and some elders. To my utter shock, I met about five workers and their manager, named David.
“The property had been converted into ‘Shearwater Factory.’ The internal walls and partitions were knocked down, and heavy-duty industrial machines, wires, and pipes were installed inside my house, with workers living inside,” she testified.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until November 10, 2026, for cross-examination of Braide by the defence counsel.
