How Fake Lawyer Exposed Himself to EFCC with Forged NBA Seal, Courtroom Costume

Femi Ashekun/

A man who posed as a qualified Nigerian lawyer ultimately exposed himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after submitting a petition to the anti-graft agency bearing a forged Nigerian Bar Association seal and later appearing before its officials dressed in a lawyer’s attire.

Justice A.M. Lawal of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja convicted and sentenced John Nwawuto Anoruo, 55, on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to impersonation and fraudulent use of a counterfeit NBA seal.

The case began with what appeared to be a routine petition filed with the EFCC on behalf of clients against Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited.

The petition, dated September 22, 2025, and a subsequent withdrawal letter dated March 5, 2026 carried an NBA seal with Supreme Court enrolment number SCN037400.

Rather than advancing his clients’ case, the documents triggered an investigation that unravelled Anoruo’s impersonation scheme.

According to court testimony, the EFCC received a complaint on April 15, 2026 from Lagos lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, who alleged that Anoruo had filed a petition against him and his law firm while falsely presenting himself as a legal practitioner.

An EFCC investigating officer, Umar Faruk Ahmad, told the court that enquiries sent to the Body of Benchers and the Supreme Court of Nigeria confirmed that the enrolment number on the seal belonged to another lawyer.

Investigators also established that Anoruo had never been called to the Nigerian Bar.

Under interrogation, Anoruo admitted that although he obtained a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2018, he did not attend the Nigerian Law School, a mandatory requirement for legal practice in Nigeria.

He further confessed that he obtained the counterfeit NBA seal from an undisclosed business centre in Lagos.

The most damaging moment came when Anoruo responded to the EFCC’s invitation. Ahmad testified that the suspect arrived at the Commission’s office wearing a legal practitioner’s costume, apparently attempting to reinforce the impression that he was a genuine lawyer.

A subsequent search of his residence led to the recovery of the counterfeit NBA seal bearing another lawyer’s Supreme Court number, providing physical evidence that directly linked him to the alleged forgery.

The EFCC also uncovered the financial dimension of the scheme. Evidence before the court showed that Anoruo earned N7.5 million from the legal brief in question.

He reportedly paid N1.5 million to a qualified lawyer to handle aspects of the matter on his behalf and N2.5 million to the individual who introduced the brief to him.

Prosecutors tendered the complaint petition, Anoruo’s extra-judicial statement, correspondence from the Body of Benchers and the Supreme Court, the lawyer’s attire recovered from him, the forged NBA seal, and evidence of a N300,000 bank draft paid into the EFCC’s recovery account.

Defence counsel, G.E. Demkemefa, did not oppose the admissibility of the exhibits.

The two-count charge accused Anoruo of fraudulently using a counterfeit NBA seal with intent that it be acted upon as genuine and falsely representing himself to the EFCC as a legal practitioner duly certified to practise law in Nigeria.

One of the charges stated that he used the forged seal titled “Nigerian Bar Association” with Supreme Court Number SCN037400 between 2025 and 2026 within the jurisdiction of the Lagos State High Court.

The second charge alleged that on September 4, 2025, he falsely represented himself to the EFCC as a lawyer authorised to practise in Nigeria and as the holder of the NBA seal bearing the enrolment number that lawfully belonged to another practitioner.

After reviewing the evidence and the defendant’s guilty plea, Justice Lawal held that the prosecution had established the offences and entered convictions on both counts.

“In view of the plea of the defendant, the defendant is hereby convicted on the two counts,” the judge ruled.

The defence urged the court to show mercy, describing Anoruo as a first-time offender, the breadwinner of a family comprising his wife and five children, and someone who had cooperated with investigators and had not wasted the time of either the EFCC or the court.

Justice Lawal imposed a N120,000 fine on the first count and N150,000 on the second count, bringing the total penalty to N270,000, payable to the Lagos State Judiciary.

The court also ordered that the lawyer’s attire and the forged NBA seal recovered from the defendant be forfeited to the Federal Government through the EFCC.