Court Convicts Man Who Used Fake NBA Seal To Pose As Lawyer, Orders Forfeiture
A Lagos State High Court has convicted a 55-year-old man, John Nwawuto Anoruo, for impersonating a lawyer and using a counterfeit seal bearing the name of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
Justice A.M. Lawal, sitting at the Ikeja division of the court, convicted Anoruo on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to two charges filed by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The court sentenced him to pay ₦120,000 for using the forged NBA seal and another ₦150,000 for impersonation, bringing the total fine to ₦270,000.
The EFCC disclosed that Anoruo operates a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, Lagos, despite not being called to the Nigerian Bar.
The Commission said the case originated from a petition Anoruo submitted on behalf of his clients against the management of Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited.
However, investigations revealed that the petition and a subsequent letter of withdrawal carried a counterfeit NBA seal.
The defendant reportedly admitted obtaining the seal from a business centre in Lagos.
According to the EFCC, Anoruo claimed to have obtained a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2018 through evening classes but acknowledged that he never attended the Nigerian Law School.
The Commission’s investigation followed a petition submitted on April 14, 2026, by legal practitioner Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, which was received the following day.
Olumide-Fusika alleged that Anoruo had petitioned the EFCC against him and his law firm while falsely claiming to be a qualified legal practitioner.
An EFCC investigating officer, Umar Faruk Ahmad, told the court that the Supreme Court enrolment number displayed on the counterfeit NBA seal belonged to another lawyer.
Ahmad further revealed that Anoruo received ₦7.5 million from the legal brief but paid ₦1.5 million to a qualified lawyer to handle the case.
He also informed the court that the defendant appeared at the EFCC office in legal practitioners’ attire when he honoured the Commission’s invitation.
The EFCC subsequently searched his residence and recovered the forged NBA seal bearing another lawyer’s enrolment number.
During the trial, the prosecution presented documentary evidence, the defendant’s statement, the counterfeit seal, legal practitioners’ attire and official correspondence with relevant legal institutions.
A ₦300,000 bank draft paid by the defendant into the EFCC’s recovery account was also tendered as evidence.
The defence counsel, G.E. Demkemefa, did not oppose the admission of the exhibits.
Following the defendant’s guilty plea, prosecution counsel Saadatu Mahmud Yabo urged the court to convict him and order the forfeiture of the exhibits to the Federal Government.
In his plea for mercy, the defence counsel described Anoruo as a first-time offender who had not wasted the time of the court or the EFCC.
He also told the court that the defendant was responsible for providing for his wife and five children, urging the judge to impose a fine rather than a prison sentence.
Justice Lawal subsequently convicted the defendant on both counts and imposed fines totalling ₦270,000, payable to the Lagos State Judiciary.
The judge also ordered that the legal practitioners’ attire and forged NBA seal recovered during the investigation be forfeited to the Federal Government through the EFCC.
