Drama as a Fake lawyer is Identified and Arrested in Lagos Court While Representing a Client

It all started like a mare joke or the dramatic style of lawyers to destabilize their opponents when one lawyer stood up in court to inform the court headed by Magistrate L.A Layeni that there’s a rumour of a fake lawyer carrying out a duty of a lawyer in the court and it eventually turned out to be a real case of impersonation .
The Police eventually arrested the suspected fake lawyer identified as Godwin Eguabor while he was representing a client and was taken away.

Mr Eguabor was later brought back to the court to appear before Magistrate N. A Layeni of court 2 in the Badagry area of Lagos on Wednesday 15th of January, 2025 on behalf of a litigator.

Atule Elchors, the vice-chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Badagry branch who earlier identified Mr Eguabor as a fake lawyer said at the court hearing that Eguabor announced his appearance as legal counsel to a client.

Elchors said he has been hearing a rumour that a fake lawyer was engaging in legal services in Badagry.

“I stood up and told the court that the person who appeared before the magistrate is not a legal practitioner,”

“And that we have been looking out for him.

“We asked for his supreme court number, which is the enrollment number of every lawyer, but he could not answer, he was just telling us stories.

“The worst thing is that the name he is using in court is different from the name he gave the police when they came to arrest him.”

Eguabor was charged by the police and for an offence bordering on illegal parade of oneself as a lawyer.

Edet Ekpo, the prosecutor representing the police, told the court that the offence contravened section 380 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2015.

Magistrate L A Layeni,, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.

Magistrate Layeni ordered that one of the sureties should be a company’s managing director and present a statement of account of the company for one year.

He said that the sureties must deposit N25,000 to the account of Ikeja high court registrar.

He adjourned the case to February 19 for further hearing.