About eight years after legal proceedings, a Lagos Special Offences Court has convicted notorious fraudster Emmanuel Nwude and two lawyers linked to him for offences related to forgery and dealings involving forfeited property.
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, sentenced Nwude alongside his lawyers, Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu, to one year imprisonment each.
The three defendants were convicted after facing a prolonged trial that began in 2018 following their arraignment on an amended 15-count charge.
The charges bordered on conspiracy, forgery, uttering of false documents, dealing with forfeited property, attempt to pervert the course of justice, and fabricating evidence.
One of the counts presented before the court stated: “Emmanuel Nwude, Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu, between 2011-2012, at Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without due authorization by the Commission, dealt with the property known as Plot Y Mobolaji Johnson Street, Oregun, Ikeja ,whereas you knew that the property was forfeited to the victims of crimes as restitution in the judgment delivered on 18th day of November,2005 by Hon. Justice Oyewole in ID/92C/04 – FRN vs. Emmanuel Nwude and 6 Ors and the victims subsequently sold the property to Rosaab Industrial Design Limited and which Rosaab Industrial Design Limited later assigned to G. C. Nweze and Company Limited.”
At the commencement of the trial on March 2, 2018, all the defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, prompting the court to proceed with a full trial.
During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, called five witnesses and tendered several documentary exhibits which were admitted by the court as evidence against the defendants. The prosecution later closed its case on March 19, 2019.
Following the prosecution’s case, Nwude and his lawyers filed a no-case submission, arguing that the evidence presented was insufficient to require them to enter a defence.
However, in a ruling delivered on September 19, 2019, the court dismissed the application and ordered the defendants to open their defence.
Rather than comply immediately, Nwude proceeded to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/LAG/CR/1244/2019.
The appellate court eventually dismissed the appeal and directed him to return to the trial court to present his defence.
Complying with the appellate court’s directive, Nwude opened his case on February 22, 2021. During the proceedings, he testified in his own defence and called three additional witnesses before closing his case.
His co-defendants, Ilechukwu and Kalu, who both served as his legal counsel, also testified on their own behalf. They subsequently closed their defence on February 27, 2025.
Following the conclusion of testimonies, the court ordered all parties to file their final written addresses and adjourned the matter to June 25, 2025.
The defendants submitted their addresses at different times, with the third defendant filing a response to the prosecution on June 20, 2025.
At the June 25, 2025 sitting, the court further adjourned the matter to September 25, 2025.
However, the proceedings took an unexpected turn on that date when Dr. Babajide Martins, Director of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), Lagos State, appeared in court.
Martins informed the court that he had been instructed to take over the prosecution of the case following a petition submitted to his office by the second defendant, Ilechukwu.
Justice Dada questioned the timing of the move, noting that the matter had already reached the stage for adoption of final written addresses and was close to conclusion.
When asked to explain why the DPP would seek to take over a case at such a late stage, Martins reportedly could not provide a clear justification.
The court subsequently adjourned the case to November 5, 2025, to allow the first defendant’s counsel file his reply on points of law to the prosecution’s final address.
The trial eventually culminated in the conviction and sentencing of the three men on Wednesday, bringing the long-running case to a close.
