Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, convicted and sentenced notorious fraudster Emmanuel Nwude and two lawyers, Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu, to one year imprisonment each for forgery and dealing in forfeited property after a lengthy trial that spanned several years.
The case, which unfolded at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, centered on allegations that the trio illegally dealt with a property that had already been forfeited as restitution to victims of crime.
Prosecutors said the property, ocated at Plot Y, Mobolaji Johnson Street, Oregun, Ikeja, had been forfeited following an earlier judgment delivered on November 18, 2005 by Justice Habeeb Abiru Oyewole in the case FRN vs. Emmanuel Nwude and six others.
The property had subsequently been sold by the victims to Rosaab Industrial Design Limited, which later assigned it to G.C. Nweze and Company Limited.
Despite this, the court heard that Nwude and his two legal advisers dealt with the property without authorization from the authorities.
The defendants were first arraigned on March 2, 2018 on an amended 15-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, uttering false documents, dealing in forfeited property, attempt to pervert the course of justice and fabrication of evidence. All three pleaded not guilty, setting the stage for a full trial.
During the proceedings, the prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, called five witnesses and tendered several documents which the court admitted as evidence.
After the prosecution closed its case in March 2019, Nwude and his lawyers attempted to halt the proceedings by filing a no-case submission, arguing that the evidence presented was insufficient to warrant a defence. Justice Dada dismissed the application in September 2019 and ordered them to open their defence.
Rather than comply immediately, Nwude challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal Nigeria, but the appellate court dismissed his appeal and directed him to return to the trial court to present his defence.
The trial resumed in February 2021, with Nwude testifying in his own defence and calling three witnesses. His co-defendants, both lawyers, later testified for themselves before closing their case in February 2025.
In a dramatic moment during the proceedings, the Director of the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution, Babajide Martins, appeared in court in September 2025 indicating his office had been instructed to take over the case following a petition written by Ilechukwu.
Justice Dada questioned the move, noting that the case was already nearing completion and was scheduled for adoption of final written addresses. Martins, however, was unable to provide a clear explanation for the sudden intervention.
After hearing final submissions from both sides, the court on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, found the defendants guilty and sentenced them to one year imprisonment each.
