Alleged Forgery: Trial Of Abuja Lawyer, 1 Other Begins As Police Call First Witness

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting successful Apo, Abuja, connected Thursday, commenced proceeding successful a lawsuit of alleged forgery and impersonation filed against Abuja-based lawyer, Victor Giwa, and 1 different defendant, Ibitade Bukola.

The defendants were lasting proceedings earlier Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie connected allegations of forging authoritative documents and impersonating a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Awa Kalu, with the intent to mislead the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) into withdrawing transgression charges against Giwa pending earlier the FCT High Court successful Maitama.

At Thursday’s proceedings, Prosecution Counsel, F.G. Gabriel, called the archetypal prosecution witnesser (PW1), who identified herself arsenic a nonmigratory of Maitama, Abuja.

When asked if she knew the archetypal defendant, the witnesser confirmed she did and proceeded to narrate events that occurred betwixt June 28, 2024, and July 8, 2024.

PW1 told the tribunal that she had purchased a spot from a developer, Cecil Osakwe, successful February 2021, made afloat payment, and took possession.

However, she alleged that Osakwe had a past of selling properties and aboriginal attempting to repudiate specified transactions erstwhile the spot appreciated successful value.

According to the witness, aft she had lived successful the spot for astir 7 months, the developer petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) successful September 2021, but the lawsuit was dismissed aft she presented grounds of payment.

PW1 further stated that Osakwe aboriginal filed a civilian enactment against her successful September 2022. Shortly afterwards, she received a threatening missive dated December 21, 2021, allegedly from the archetypal defendant, ordering her to vacate her location wrong 14 days oregon look forceful eviction.

“True to his threat, helium led equipped thugs and immoderate policemen, present astatine large, who broke into my location and forcefully ejected maine and my wards nether the guise of executing a purported tribunal judgment,” she said.

She added that she reported the amerciable eviction to the police, and the lawsuit record was subsequently transferred to the Attorney-General of the Federation for review. The AGF past filed a nine-count complaint against Giwa, which included amerciable eviction, malicious damage, disconnection of indispensable services, and mischief.

PW1 told the tribunal that Giwa was scheduled to beryllium arraigned connected July 2, 2024, but allegedly devised respective schemes to evade justice.

“One specified scheme,” she said, “was forging a missive to the AGF, impersonating Barrister Awa Kalu (SAN), and requesting that the charges against him beryllium withdrawn.”

She added that she discovered the missive online connected Leaders.ng connected July 8, 2024, and forwarded it to her lawyer, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, who expressed uncertainty that a SAN would constitute specified a letter.

“I besides noticed respective spelling and grammatical errors, which raised my suspicion that the missive could not person travel from a learned silk,” she testified.

PW1 said her lawyer subsequently wrote to and visited Awa Kalu’s chambers to verify the authenticity of the letter. Later that day, Adeyanju confirmed that Kalu categorically denied authoring it and disassociated himself from Ibitade Bukola, the 2nd defendant, whose NBA seal appeared connected the letter.

When asked by the prosecution to place the seal, the witnesser confirmed that “the seal connected the missive belongs to the 2nd defendant.”

She said her lawyer aboriginal received a ceremonial missive from Kalu’s chambers affirming that the missive did not emanate from his instrumentality steadfast and that the 2nd suspect had ne'er worked there.

PW1 said she past instructed her lawyer to notify the AGF and petition the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) for an investigation.

“After astir 3 months, connected October 28, 2024, I was invited by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), wherever I was interviewed astir the missive and the impersonation,” she said.

“Had I not taken steps to exposure the forgery, the AGF mightiness person been misled into withdrawing the nine-count complaint against the archetypal defendant, which would person resulted successful a sedate miscarriage of justice.”

PW1 further alleged that the archetypal suspect inactive retains possession of her spot and belongings taken during March 18, 2022 amerciable eviction.

During the probe astatine FCID, she said, Kalu (SAN) requested to put a gathering with the 1St suspect done the Investigating Police Officer, ASP Titus, which she declined, citing concerns astir the archetypal defendant’s alleged “propensity to fabricate stories.”

“I bash not cognize the 2nd suspect personally,” she added, “but I person received tribunal processes bearing her sanction from their instrumentality steadfast connected respective occasions.”

The witnesser identified her written st...