By Deborah Nnamdi
An Abuja High Court sitting in Apo has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of two lawyers, Victor Giwa and Ibitade Bukola, who are facing charges of forgery and impersonation.
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie made the order on Monday after the defendants repeatedly failed to appear in court to take their plea in a three-count charge filed against them by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The duo is accused of conspiring to forge a legal document purportedly issued by the chambers of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Awa U. Kalu, with the intent to mislead the Attorney General of the Federation. The alleged offence was said to have occurred on June 28, 2024.
According to the charge, the forged letter, titled “Urgent and Solemn Appeal to Suspend the Arraignment of Our Colleague Victor Giwa on Charge Number: CR/222/2023,” was addressed to the AGF to halt a scheduled arraignment before Justice Samira Bature.
At Monday’s proceedings, prosecution counsel Eristo Asaph argued that the excuses for the defendants’ absence were unjustified, urging the court to order their arrest.
Defence counsel Ogbu Aboje had told the court that Giwa was suffering from a degenerative spinal condition and hypertension, while Bukola missed court to attend a medical appointment for her daughter.
Ruling on the matter, Justice Onwuegbuzie held that Giwa’s medical report did not show he was unable to attend court, while Bukola provided no sufficient justification for her absence. He consequently invoked provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) to issue a bench warrant for their arrest.
The case was adjourned until October 8 for the continuation of the trial.
