FAKE LAWYER INFILTRATES IKORODU JUDICIAL SYSTEM, AS CHARLES IKECHUKWU NWADIANI ARRAIGNED BEFORE THE CHIEF MAGISTRATE COURT.
A suspected Charlatan, Mr Charles Ikechukwu Nwadiani, was on Monday, August 5, 2019, arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Ikorodu Judicial Division of Lagos State. Nwadiani whose age is 42, was paraded at the Magistrate Court, Ikorodu for being conspired to commit felony, by acting under false pretence and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.
Charles was arraigned before the Chief Magistrate, His Honour F.A Azeez (Mrs). MegaXpression gathered that Charles was arrested around 4pm at Ibeshe on Saturday, August 3, 2019, and was taken to the Zone 2, Ladegboye Police Station before being moved to Command at Onikan, Lagos, for further interrogation.
He was charged for impersonating and presenting himself as aide to the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and using same status to dupe and extort money from members of the public which is also punishable under same section. He was also charged for impersonating as the Special Adviser to Engr. Rauf Aregbesola when he was the Commissioner of Works, Lagos State, and using same status to also dupe unsuspecting members of the public.
He was accused of forging a document that reads Charles Nwadani & Co, a legal practitioner, and using the document to operate an illegal chamber situated along No. 19, Lajo town, Igbogbo, Lagos, thereby committing an offence contrary to section 363 (a) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Nwadiani was accused of unlawfully obtaining the sum of One million, four hundred and fifty thousand naira (N1, 450, 000, 00) from one Samsideen Olakorede Ali with pretence to help him as a lawyer/legal practitioner to write a petition to the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, which he failed to do, thereby, committing offence contrary to and punishable under section 314 (1) (2) (3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
He was also alleged to have resisted arrest by men of the Nigeria Police, Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, on July 12, 2019, at Olu-Odo in Igbogbo, Ikorodu, whereby committing an offence contrary to section 117 (1) of the Criminal law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.
Barr. Julius Nnamani, who appeared with 10 other lawyers for the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ikorodu branch, called on the Chief Magistrate not to grant the Defendant his prayer on the ground that the suspect had put the bar association to great task.
"In Nigeria of today, the issue of impostures or charlatans in the legal profession is a matter that has been disturbing the profession from the West to East, North to South in a terrifying matter and terrific frequency," this was said to MegaXpression Community Magazine by the NBA Secretary, Ikorodu Branch, Barr. Julius Nnamani.
Barr. Julius Nnamani further said the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), as a body, both national and local, has unanimously decided that a fight against charlatans or fake lawyers is not a fight that should be taken ordinary, and so, both the President of NBA and the Chairmen of the branches, have the responsibility, legal and moral to ensure within their area of jurisdiction, that people who are not lawyers, but parading as lawyers should not be given a breathing space.
"There is no presumption of innocent, the Court is there to determine whether the suspect is guilty or not, but the Police have carried out their investigation and submitted that the Charlatan, Mr Charles Ikechukwu Nwadiani, has a case to answer, and so, we are interested and we'll do everything humanly possible to ensure that the matter is decided to know whether the man is a fake lawyer, and to face the full rod of law if found guilty," Nnamani added.
He further stretched that they do not want such a thing in Ikorodu Division because it's pollute the water that bind the NBA together.
Barr. Adefolaju Olapa, the defendant’s lawyer, in an interview with journalists at the court, stated that his client is innocent until proven otherwise.
“The country practices accusatorial system of law, that’s why you see the police handcuffing him (his client) and parading him before the press without being pronounced guilty yet. But the right thing is that when someone is alleged of an offence, he should be allowed to go to trial to prove his innocence.
“In the extant law that we practice in this country, it is trite that anybody that is accused of any wrong doing is presumed innocent until proven otherwise but what we have seen in this matter here today is the presumption of guilty”.
He alleged that the root cause of his client’s trial is land matter, though, he didn’t explain the details.
“I will equally say that the root of this matter has to do with landgrabbing. There are some legal practitioners that are aiding and abetting land grabbers in Ikorodu and Lagos State as a whole and that is why this persecution that you are presently seeing is going on”.
The matter which has been adjourned till October 22, 2019, ruled by Chief Magistrate Azeez who granted the suspected charlatan bail, while also asking him to present two sureties that are gainfully employed with fifteen thousand naira each.
OLASOJI SEIDU
Reporting for MegaXpression Community Magazine.
08027718555
Reporting for MegaXpression Community Magazine.
08027718555
What happened in the court at 22nd Oct.2019. ??
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