The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, on Thursday commenced the trial of Abuja-based lawyer, Victor Giwa, and his co-defendant, Ibitade Bukola, who are facing allegations of forgery and impersonation.
Both defendants appeared before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie on charges of falsifying official documents and impersonating a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Awa Kalu, with the intent to deceive the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) into withdrawing criminal charges previously filed against Giwa at another FCT High Court in Maitama.
During the resumed hearing, prosecution counsel, F.G. Gabriel, called the first prosecution witness (PW1), a resident of Maitama, Abuja, who narrated a sequence of events that occurred between June 28 and July 8, 2024.
The witness stated that she had purchased a property from a developer, Cecil Osakwe, in February 2021, paid in full, and taken possession. She alleged that Osakwe later attempted to repossess the property after its market value increased, describing such conduct as his usual pattern of behaviour.
According to PW1, Osakwe lodged a petition with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in September 2021, but the case was dismissed after she presented proof of payment. She explained that Osakwe subsequently filed a civil suit against her, and afterwards, she received a letter dated December 21, 2021, purportedly signed by Giwa, instructing her to vacate her residence within 14 days or face forceful eviction.
“True to his threat, he led armed thugs and some policemen, now at large, who broke into my home and forcefully ejected me and my wards under the guise of executing a purported court judgment,” she narrated.
The witness said the matter was later reported to the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, which subsequently filed a nine-count charge against Giwa, including offences of illegal eviction, malicious damage, disconnection of essential services, and mischief.
PW1 told the court that Giwa was scheduled to be arraigned on July 2, 2024, but allegedly forged a letter to the AGF, impersonating Awa Kalu (SAN), to request that the charges be withdrawn.
She stated that she discovered the forged letter online on July 8, 2024, and sent it to her lawyer, Mr. Deji Adeyanju, who expressed doubts about its authenticity due to visible grammatical and spelling errors. Upon investigation, Kalu’s chambers confirmed that the letter did not originate from him and revealed that the second defendant, Bukola, whose NBA seal appeared on the document, had never been employed by the firm.
PW1 said she subsequently petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), which led to an investigation by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID).
“Had I not exposed the forgery,” she said, “the AGF might have been misled into withdrawing the nine-count charge against the first defendant, resulting in a grave miscarriage of justice.”
She further alleged that Giwa continues to hold on to her property and belongings seized during the alleged unlawful eviction of March 18, 2022.
The court admitted her written statement to the police as Exhibit 1A after there was no objection from defence counsel, Ogbu Aboje, who represented the second defendant. Giwa appeared in court as his own counsel.
Justice Onwuegbuzie adjourned the matter until November 12, 2025, for cross-examination of the witness.
