Justice A.M. Lawal of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced John Nwawuto Anoruo, a 55-year-old fake lawyer, for impersonation and possession of a forged Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal. The conviction, delivered on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, followed Anoruo's guilty plea to a two-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
How the Fake Lawyer Was Unmasked
Anoruo, who operated a legal and educational consultancy in the Ikorodu area of Lagos, was arrested by EFCC operatives on April 20, 2026. His troubles began after he submitted a petition dated September 22, 2025, to the EFCC on behalf of clients against the management of Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited. Investigations revealed that both the petition and a subsequent Letter of Withdrawal dated March 5, 2026, bore a forged NBA seal, which Anoruo admitted obtaining from an undisclosed business centre in Lagos.
During interrogation, Anoruo claimed he obtained a law degree in 2018 from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, through evening classes but never attended the Nigerian Law School. This admission, coupled with the forged seal, formed the basis of the charges against him.
Charges and Guilty Plea
The EFCC's Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 arraigned Anoruo on two counts. The first count alleged that between 2025 and 2026, he fraudulently used a counterfeit NBA seal with Supreme Court Number SCN037400, intending it to be acted upon as genuine, contrary to Section 366(1) and punishable under Section 365(1)(x) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015. The second count accused him of falsely representing himself to the EFCC on September 4, 2025, as a certified legal practitioner and holder of an NBA seal that lawfully belonged to another lawyer, contrary to Section 382 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Anoruo pleaded "guilty" to both charges. Prosecution counsel Saadatu Mahmud Yabo then called Umar Faruk Ahmad, an EFCC investigating officer, to review the facts of the case.
Evidence Presented in Court
Ahmad testified that the EFCC received a petition on April 15, 2026, from legal practitioner Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, alleging that Anoruo had filed a petition against him and his law firm while falsely presenting himself as a lawyer. Investigations confirmed that the Supreme Court enrolment number on the NBA seal used by Anoruo belonged to another legal practitioner.
The witness further disclosed that Anoruo admitted obtaining the counterfeit seal from a business centre in Lagos and confirmed he was not called to the Nigerian Bar. Notably, Anoruo earned N7,500,000 from the legal brief in question, paying N1,500,000 to a qualified lawyer to handle the matter on his behalf.
Ahmad also revealed that when Anoruo honoured the EFCC's invitation, he arrived wearing a legal practitioner's attire. A subsequent search of his residence led to the recovery of the counterfeit NBA seal bearing another lawyer's enrolment number. The prosecution tendered nine exhibits, including the petition, Anoruo's extra-judicial statement, investigation letters to the Body of Benchers and the Supreme Court, the legal practitioner's attire, the counterfeit seal, and evidence of a N300,000 bank draft paid into the EFCC's recovery account. Defence counsel G.E. Demkemefa raised no objection, and Justice Lawal admitted them as Exhibits 1 to 9.
Sentencing and Forfeiture Orders
In his allocutus, Anoruo told the court he paid N2,500,000 to the individual who introduced the legal brief to him and N1,500,000 to the lawyer he engaged. Prosecution counsel urged the court to convict and sentence him, also praying for the forfeiture of all exhibits to the Federal Government.
Delivering judgment, Justice Lawal stated: "In view of the plea of the defendant, the defendant is hereby convicted on the two counts." The defence counsel pleaded for mercy, describing Anoruo as a first-time offender and the breadwinner of his family, comprising his wife and five children, urging a fine instead of imprisonment.
Justice Lawal sentenced Anoruo to a fine of N120,000 on count one and N150,000 on count two, totalling N270,000, payable to the Lagos State Judiciary. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the legal practitioner's attire and the forged NBA seal to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
