A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, convicted and sentenced John Nwawuto Anoruo, a 55-year-old man who ran a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, for impersonating a lawyer and possessing a forged Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal.
Justice A.M. Lawal found Anoruo guilty on two counts after he pleaded guilty. The court imposed a total fine of ₦270,000—₦120,000 on the first count and ₦150,000 on the second, payable to the Lagos State Judiciary. The legal practitioner’s attire and the counterfeit NBA seal recovered from him were ordered forfeited to the Federal Government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Anoruo was arrested by EFCC operatives on April 20, 2026. The case originated from a petition he submitted on September 22, 2025, on behalf of clients against the management of Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited. Both that petition and a later letter of withdrawal dated March 5, 2026, carried a forged NBA seal bearing Supreme Court enrolment number SCN037400, which belonged to another lawyer. Anoruo admitted obtaining the seal from an undisclosed business centre in Lagos.
He told investigators he obtained a law degree in 2018 from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, through evening classes but never attended the Nigerian Law School and was never called to the Bar.
The EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 arraigned him the same day as the conviction on charges of fraudulently using a counterfeit NBA seal (contrary to Section 366(1) and punishable under Section 365(1)(x) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015) and falsely representing himself as a certified legal practitioner (contrary to Section 382 of the same law).
Prosecuting counsel Saadatu Mahmud Yabo called investigating officer Umar Faruk Ahmad, who testified that the commission received a petition on April 15, 2026, from lawyer Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika. The petitioner alleged Anoruo had filed a complaint against him and his firm while posing as a lawyer.
Investigations confirmed the seal number belonged to another practitioner. Anoruo admitted he was not called to the Bar and had earned ₦7.5 million from the brief, of which he paid ₦1.5 million to a qualified lawyer to handle the matter.
When Anoruo honoured the EFCC invitation, he arrived in legal practitioner’s attire. A search of his residence recovered the forged seal. The prosecution tendered the relevant petition, Anoruo’s statement, correspondence with the Body of Benchers and the Supreme Court, the attire, the seal, and evidence of a ₦300,000 bank draft he paid into the EFCC recovery account. All were admitted as exhibits without objection.
In his allocutus, Anoruo said he paid ₦2.5 million to the person who introduced the brief and ₦1.5 million to the lawyer he engaged. Defence counsel G.E. Demkemefa urged the court to temper justice with mercy, noting that Anoruo was a first-time offender, the breadwinner of a family with a wife and five children, and had not wasted the court’s time. Counsel asked for a fine rather than a custodial sentence.
Justice Lawal convicted him on both counts based on the guilty plea and imposed the fines and forfeiture orders accordingly.
The judgment was delivered on August 4, 2026.
A story of courage, wonder, and the transformative power of self-belief; perfect for readers aged 10+ who love adventure. To place order: +234 806 130 3237 | +234 803 582 0870 OR Tap the link to grab a copy:https://www.zeekapublish.com/product/the-magical-life-of-anna
