Lagos Court Convicts Fake Lawyer
A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted John Nwawuto Anoruo for impersonating a legal practitioner and using a forged Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal.
Justice A.M. Lawal convicted the 55-year-old after he pleaded guilty to a two-count charge bordering on the use of a counterfeit NBA seal and falsely presenting himself as a legal practitioner.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the case emerged after Anoruo submitted a petition to the Commission on behalf of clients against the management of Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited.
The anti-graft agency said investigators became suspicious when both the petition and a subsequent withdrawal letter bore an NBA seal that was later discovered to be forged. Further investigation revealed that the Supreme Court enrolment number on the seal belonged to another legal practitioner.
During interrogation, Anoruo admitted obtaining the counterfeit NBA seal from a business centre in Lagos.
He also confessed that although he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2018, he neither attended the Nigerian Law School nor was called to the Nigerian Bar, making him ineligible to practise law in Nigeria.
Testifying before the court, EFCC investigating officer Umar Faruk Ahmad stated that the defendant falsely held himself out as a practising lawyer and unlawfully used another lawyer’s Supreme Court enrolment number to authenticate official documents.
Justice Lawal subsequently convicted Anoruo based on his guilty plea.
The case underscores the legal requirement that, beyond obtaining a law degree, every aspiring lawyer in Nigeria must complete the Nigerian Law School programme and be formally called to the Bar before practising as a legal practitioner.
The EFCC said the conviction highlights the importance of safeguarding the integrity of professional institutions and protecting the public from individuals who use forged credentials to gain unlawful advantage.
