Court Convicts Fake Lawyer Over Forged NBA Seal, Impersonation In Lagos

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and fined a fake lawyer, John Nwawuto Anoruo, for impersonation and possession of a forged Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal.

The 55 year old, who operated a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after investigations revealed he falsely presented himself as a legal practitioner and used a counterfeit NBA seal bearing another lawyer’s Supreme Court enrolment number.

The court heard that Anoruo, who admitted obtaining a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka but never attended the Nigerian Law School, earned ₦7.5 million from a legal brief and paid ₦1.5 million to a qualified lawyer to handle the matter. He also confessed to obtaining the forged NBA seal from a business centre in Lagos.

Justice A.M. Lawal convicted the defendant after he pleaded guilty to the two count charge. The court imposed fines of ₦120,000 and ₦150,000 on the two counts, bringing the total fine to ₦270,000.

The court further 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.