A lawyer, Kenechukwu Okeke, who filed a criminal complaint before an Abuja Magistrates’ Court over the actions of 50 artists, celebrities and pastor during the October 2020 EndSARS struggles has been alleged to be fake, going by his conduct in court.
Our correspondent learnt that the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School and the Nigerian Bar Association had been contacted to authenticate Okeke’s legal status.
Activist, Deji Adeyanju, on behalf of the 50 persons in Okeke’s suit, had filed a case at the High Court and when the case was called for hearing today, it was stalled as the court held that Okeke should be ascertained with evidence if he was a lawyer.
At the hearing of the matter on Thursday, the case was called up and there were introductions by the applicant lead counsel, Samuel Ihenseksien and Okeke, who appeared as the first defendant, and as a counsel to himself.
The NBA Bwari Chairman, Bwari branch, Chukwuemeka Clement, also appeared in this case as amicus curea (a friend of the court).
Our correspondent learnt that the NBA chairman and applicant’s counsel then applied for the court to inquire about the status of Okeke as a lawyer, after which all hell allegedly broke loose.
“He was visibly shaken as he was caught unawares. His right leg was moving uncontrollably as the judge ordered for further findings and for the NBA to formally join the matter and submit their enquiry to court,” a source said.
The case was adjourned to March 8, 2021, at which point Kenechukwu took off and wouldn’t grant an interview as he had promised.
The lawyer representing Deji Adeyanju and the 49 others, Samuel Ihenseksein, explained how Okeke was believed to be fake and why a verification letter was written to the law school and the NBA to confirm his status as a lawyer.
The defence counsel said, “The matter was adjourned to today for continuation of hearing and I was present in court and the NBA Chairman also put in an appearance because something of note came up. In a nutshell, we have had reasons before now to actually suspect that Okeke in different sessions and at different sessions held himself to be a lawyer.
“He has actually challenged so many celebrities and of note, he challenged Peter Okoye and so, we have had reasons to look at this critically. We know that there is a particular behaviour and his recent character which made us to verify if he was truly a lawyer.
“The court actually took it in good faith and ordered an inquiry. He was actually shaking and moving about and we now have a strong suspicion that he was not a lawyer. To confirm our fears, we have actually written to the Chief Registrar of the court. The one I have is the letter to the DG, Law School, to verify his status.”
Culled from saharareporters
