LAGOS, NIGERIA — The Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced notorious fraudster Emmanuel Nwude and his two lawyers, Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu, to one year in prison each for forgery and illegally dealing in a property forfeited to crime victims.
Justice Mojisola Dada, in her judgment delivered on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, convicted the trio on 13 out of an amended 15-count charge preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The charges included conspiracy, forgery, uttering false documents, dealing with forfeited property without authorisation, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and fabricating evidence
. The defendants were, however, acquitted on two counts related to making false statements to a public officer.
The case dates back to between 2011 and 2012, when the defendants allegedly conspired to reclaim and sell a property located at Plot Y, Mobolaji Johnson Street, Oregun, Ikeja.
The property had been part of assets forfeited to victims of Nwude’s crimes following a court judgment on November 18, 2005.
It had subsequently been sold to Rosaab Industrial Design Limited and later assigned to G.C. Nweze and Company Limited.
Investigations revealed that after serving a previous prison term, Nwude engaged the two lawyers to recover the property using a Power of Attorney issued in the name of Mankris Ventures Limited, a different entity, rather than the original owner, Emrus Auto Nigeria Limite.
Kalu then used this to institute an action at a Magistrate Court, obtaining an order to eject the legitimate occupants, a move the court found to be fraudulent.
The prosecution, led by Nnaemeka Omewa, called five witnesses and tendered several documents during the trial that began in March 2018.
Defence counsels, including Chuks Nwanchukwu, had urged the court to discharge and acquit their clients, arguing the EFCC failed to prove its case.
However, Justice Dada dismissed these arguments, sentencing each defendant to one year in prison.
This marks Nwude’s second conviction, 21 years after he was first jailed for defrauding a Brazilian bank, Banco Noroeste, of $242 million in one of Nigeria’s most infamous advance-fee fraud cases.
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