Man fined for pretending to be a lawyer with fake NBA seal

A 55-year-old man, John Nwawuto Anoruo, has been found guilty and fined ₦270,000 by the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja. He was convicted for pretending to be a lawyer and using a fake seal of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Justice Abdulfattah Molawale Lawal announced the verdict on Tuesday after Mr Anoruo admitted to a two-count charge from the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The court convicted Anoruo for impersonation and using a counterfeit NBA seal. Justice Lawal gave a fine of ₦120,000 for the first charge and ₦150,000 for the second charge. This totals ₦270,000, which he must pay to the Lagos State Judiciary.

The court also ordered that the fake NBA seal and the lawyer's outfit found with the defendant be given to the Federal Government through the EFCC.

How the case started

The EFCC explained that Mr Anoruo, who runs a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, Lagos, was under investigation. This started after he sent a petition on September 22, 2025, to the EFCC on behalf of his clients. He accused the management of Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited of wrongdoing.

Investigators found out that the petition and a letter withdrawing the complaint, dated March 5, 2026, had a forged NBA seal. The EFCC found that the Supreme Court enrolment number on the seal belonged to a different lawyer.

Mr Anoruo was arrested on April 20, 2026. During questioning, he admitted that he got the fake NBA seal from a business center in Lagos. He also said that he earned a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 2018 through evening classes but never attended the Nigerian Law School and was never called to the Nigerian Bar.

The EFCC charged Mr Anoruo on Tuesday for illegally using a fake NBA seal and pretending to be a qualified lawyer in Nigeria. He pleaded guilty to both charges.

To prove their case, the prosecution, led by Saadatu Mahmud Yabo, called EFCC investigator Umar Faruk Ahmad as their only witness. Mr Ahmad told the court that the EFCC got a petition on April 15, 2026, from lawyer Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika. The lawyer said Mr Anoruo had filed a complaint against him while pretending to be a lawyer.

Ahmad confirmed that investigations showed the NBA seal used by Mr Anoruo had the Supreme Court enrolment number of another lawyer. He also stated that Mr Anoruo admitted he was never called to the Nigerian Bar and confessed to getting the fake seal from a business center in Lagos.

The EFCC investigator mentioned that Mr Anoruo made ₦7.5 million from the legal brief that led to the investigation. He reportedly paid ₦1.5 million to a real lawyer to handle the case for him.

Mr Ahmad testified that when Mr Anoruo came to the EFCC's office, he wore a lawyer's outfit. A search of his home later recovered the fake NBA seal with another lawyer’s Supreme Court enrolment number.

The prosecution presented several pieces of evidence, including the petition from Olumide-Fusika, Mr Anoruo's extra-judicial statement, and the correspondence between the EFCC, the Body of Benchers, and the Supreme Court of Nigeria. They also included the recovered lawyer's outfit, the fake NBA seal, and proof of a ₦300,000 bank draft paid into the EFCC's recovery account.

The defense did not object to the evidence, and the court accepted it.

Plea for leniency

In his statement, Mr Anoruo asked for mercy. He said he paid ₦2.5 million to the person who introduced him to the legal brief and another ₦1.5 million to the lawyer who handled it.

After the prosecution asked the court to convict him based on his guilty plea, defense lawyer G.E. Demkemefa requested for leniency. He described Mr Anoruo as a first-time offender who cooperated with investigators and did not waste the court’s time.

The lawyer also asked the court to consider that Mr Anoruo is the breadwinner for his wife and five children. He urged the court to impose a fine instead of sending him to jail.

In his ruling, Justice Lawal convicted Mr Anoruo on both charges, imposed the fines, and ordered that the fake NBA seal and legal outfit be given to the Federal Government through the EFCC.