Fake Lawyer convicted, fined N270,000 for impersonation, forged NBA seal in Lagos

By James Ike

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

Justice A.M. Lawal, who delivered the judgment on Tuesday, convicted Anoruo after he pleaded guilty to a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and fraudulent use of a counterfeit NBA seal.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the convict, who operated a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, Lagos, was arrested on April 20, 2026, after investigations revealed he had presented himself as a lawyer and used a forged NBA seal while handling a legal brief.

According to the anti-graft agency, the case stemmed from a petition Anoruo submitted to the EFCC on behalf of his clients against Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited. Investigators later discovered that the petition and a subsequent withdrawal letter bore a forged NBA seal bearing the Supreme Court enrolment number of another legal practitioner.

During the trial, the prosecution told the court that Anoruo admitted obtaining the fake NBA seal from a business centre in Lagos. Although he claimed to have earned a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2018, investigations confirmed he never attended the Nigerian Law School and was never called to the Nigerian Bar.

The EFCC further disclosed that the defendant earned N7.5 million from the legal brief, out of which he paid N1.5 million to a qualified lawyer to handle the matter. A search of his residence also led to the recovery of the counterfeit NBA seal, while he appeared before investigators dressed in a lawyer's robe.

Justice Lawal admitted several exhibits tendered by the prosecution, including the forged NBA seal, the legal practitioner's attire, the defendant's extra-judicial statement, correspondence with the Body of Benchers and the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and evidence of a N300,000 bank draft paid into the EFCC recovery account.

In his plea for leniency, defence counsel G.E. Demkemefa described Anoruo as a first-time offender and the breadwinner of a family of seven, urging the court to impose a fine instead of a prison term.

The court subsequently fined the defendant N120,000 on the first count and N150,000 on the second count, bringing the total fine to N270,000. Justice Lawal also ordered the forfeiture of the fake NBA seal and the legal practitioner's attire to the Federal Government through the EFCC.