A magistrate court sitting in Umuahia, Abia State, has ordered the remand of a suspected fake lawyer identified as Kenneth Nwuke at the Umuahia correctional centre.
The suspected fake lawyer was arrested by the police following a tip-off while he posed as a lawyer representing a client in a murder case at the Zone 9 Police Headquarters, Umuahia.
Vanguard gathered that the suspected fake lawyer claimed that he was handed over a power of attorney by the father of the deceased to represent him in the murder case pending at the Zone 9 Police Headquarters.
Nwuke was arraigned at Magistrate Court 4, in charge number U/449C/2024, Commissioner of Police vs. Kenneth Nwuke.
The Magistrate, Jane Mba, granted the application for a remand order by the police, which was adjourned to August 30, 2024, for a report on compliance.
Police sources told Vanguard that the alleged power of attorney bears the name of a popular law firm in Aba.
Vanguard further gathered that some members of the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Aba, who were at the police zonal command, had alerted the police to the fake lawyer while he made efforts to negotiate with the parties in the murder case.
The NBA Aba branch, led by its chairman, Charles Onuchukwu Esq, followed up with the matter in court and commended the police for the arrest of the fake lawyer.
He said, “Some of our members were at the zonal police command where the man came, posing as a lawyer to represent a client in a murder case. We alerted the police that he was an impostor. He was arrested.
“Finally today being 17th July 2024, he was arraigned at the Umuahia magistrate Court 4,in charge number U/449C/2024,Commissioner of Police vs Kenneth Nwuke wherein he was remanded at Umuahia correctional centre.”