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A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and fined a 55-year-old man, John Nwawuto Anoruo, a total of ₦270,000 for impersonating a legal practitioner and using a forged Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal.
Justice A.M. Lawal delivered the judgment on Tuesday after Anoruo pleaded guilty to a two-count charge bordering on impersonation and possession of a counterfeit NBA seal filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
According to the EFCC, Anoruo, who operates a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, Lagos, was arrested on April 20, 2026, following investigations into a petition he submitted to the Commission on behalf of clients against Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited.
The anti-graft agency said investigations revealed that the petition and a subsequent letter withdrawing the complaint carried a forged NBA seal, which the defendant admitted obtaining from a business centre in Lagos.
The EFCC further disclosed that although Anoruo claimed to have earned a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2018, he admitted he never attended the Nigerian Law School and was not called to the Nigerian Bar.
During the trial, the prosecution told the court that the Supreme Court enrolment number on the forged NBA seal belonged to another legal practitioner. Investigators also recovered the counterfeit seal and a lawyer's robe from the defendant's residence.
Evidence presented before the court showed that Anoruo received ₦7.5 million from the legal brief linked to the case. He reportedly paid ₦1.5 million to a qualified lawyer to handle the matter and another ₦2.5 million to the person who introduced the brief to him.
The prosecution tendered several exhibits, including the forged NBA seal, the defendant's statement, correspondence with the Body of Benchers and the Supreme Court, the legal practitioner's attire and proof of a ₦300,000 payment made into the EFCC's recovery account.
Following the defendant's guilty plea, Justice Lawal convicted him on both counts and imposed fines of ₦120,000 and ₦150,000 respectively, bringing the total fine to ₦270,000.
The court also 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.
