Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate II of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested a 55-year-old man, John Anoruo, for allegedly impersonating a legal practitioner and using a forged Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) seal in Lagos State.
Anoruo, who runs a legal and educational consultancy in Ikorodu, was picked up on Monday, April 20, 2026, following an investigation linked to documents he submitted in a dispute involving Global West Vessel Specialist Nigeria Limited.
According to EFCC sources, suspicion arose after inconsistencies were discovered in a petition and a withdrawal letter he presented to the commission. Both documents reportedly carried an NBA seal that later turned out to be fake after verification.
Further checks revealed that a Letter of Withdrawal dated March 5, 2026, also bore the same questionable seal, strengthening concerns of document forgery.
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During interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted that he obtained the seal from an undisclosed business centre in Lagos.
He also claimed to have earned a law degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2018 through an evening programme, but confessed he did not attend the Nigerian Law School, a mandatory requirement to practise law in Nigeria under the Nigerian Bar Association framework.
Legal experts note that only individuals who complete law school training and are formally called to the bar are permitted to represent clients as practising lawyers in the country.
The EFCC stated that Anoruo will be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations, as efforts continue to trace the source of the forged seal and possible accomplices.
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