Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, convicted and sentenced a notorious fraudster, Emmanuel Nwude, and his two counsel, Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu, to one year imprisonment each for forgery and dealing in forfeited property.

The convicts were arraigned on March 2, 2018 on an amended 15- count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, uttering of false documents, dealing with forfeited property, attempt to pervert the cause of justice and fabricating evidence. One of the counts reads: “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.”

The defendants all pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against them, thereby leading to their full trial. During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Nnaemeka Omewa, called five witnesses and tendered several documents, which were admitted in evidence against the defendants by the court. The prosecution subsequently closed its case on March 19, 2019.

Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, Nwude and his counsel filed a no-case submission. The judge, in a ruling delivered on September 19, 2019, dismissed the application and ordered the defendants to enter their defence. Rather than enter his defence, Nwude approached the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. CA/LAG/CR/1244/2019, challenging the ruling of the court. The appellate court, however, dismissed the appeal and ordered him to open his case at the trial court.

Following the order of the appellate court, Nwude subsequently opened his case on February 22, 2021. During the proceedings, he testified for himself and called three other witnesses before closing his case. The second and third defendants, who are both lawyers to Nwude, also testified for themselves and, thereafter closed their case on February 27, 2025.

The court, thereafter, ordered the filing of final addresses by parties and adjourned the matter till June 25, 2025. The defendants filed and served their final addresses at different times, with the third defendant serving his own response on the prosecution on June 20, 2025. At the sitting on June 25, 2025, the court further adjourned the matter till September 25, 2025. The prosecution filed its responses to the defendants’ final addresses separately and served same on all the defendants.

But in a dramatic twist, when the matter came up for adoption of final address on September 25, 2025, Dr. Babajide Martins, Director, Directorate of Public Prosecution(DPP), Lagos State, entered appearance in court and intimated the court that he had been instructed to take over proceedings of the matter based on a petition written to his office by the second defendant, Ilechukwu. The judge, however, stated that the matter was for the adoption of final address and also inquired to know why he would want to take over a matter that had been almost concluded. Martins, during the proceedings, could not give a definite answer. The court, thereafter, adjourned till November 5, 2025 for the adoption of final address to enable the first defendant’s counsel file his reply on points of law to the prosecution’s final address.

Justice Dada, while delivering judgment on Wednesday, found the defendants guilty on counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. The court, however, acquitted the defendants on counts 7 and 8, which bordered on making false statements to a public officer. The judge, thereafter, convicted and sentenced each of the defendants to one year imprisonment.

Their journey to jail began following a petition received by the Commission in July, 2017. Upon conclusion of investigations, Nwude and five others, including his company, Emrus Auto Nigeria Limited, had been arraigned on offences bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretense from Banco Noroeste S.A of Sao Paulo, Brazil and Stanton Development Corporation before Justice J.O.K. Oyewole of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja.

In the course of the prosecution, Nwude had indicated his intention to enter a plea bargain with the prosecution. The victims of the crime agreed to the plea bargain, part of which was that Nwude should use his properties, including landed properties, vehicles, shares and stocks as well as the entire undertaking of Emrus Auto Nigeria Ltd., to pay up the money he had defrauded the company.

In view of this, the charge against Nwude, his company Emrus Auto Nigeria Ltd and four others was amended. When the matter came up, Nwude pleaded “guilty” to all the counts for himself and for his company, Emrus Auto Nigeria Ltd. Thereafter, Justice Oyewole convicted him and his company, Emrus Autos Nigeria Limited, and sentenced him to five years imprisonment, starting from the date of arrest. The court, in convicting Nwude, stated that all the properties named in the charge should be forfeited to the victims of the crime as restitution. The court further stated that after the defendants must have fulfilled all the terms of the plea bargain, the fifth defendant, Emrus Auto Nigeria Ltd., should be wound up and its properties forfeited to Federal Government of Nigeria.

Following the judgment, the property known as Plot Y Mobolaji Johnson, Oregun, Lagos, owned by Emrus Auto Nigeria Ltd., was sold to Rosaab Industrial Design Ltd., after the registration of the judgment at the land registry, Alausa-Ikeja. In 2010, Rosaab sold the property to G.C. Nweze and Co.

However, Nwude, after serving his prison term, engaged the services of both Ilechukwu and Kalu to recover the property, Plot Y Mobolaji Johnson, Oregun, Lagos. He gave a Power of Attorney to Kalu to recover, dispose of and sell the property. The Power of Attorney was given in the name of Mankris Ventures Ltd as the owner of the property, instead of Emrus Auto Nigeria Ltd.

Kalu, based on the authority of the Power of Attorney, instituted an action at the Magistrate Court, Ogba, Lagos and obtained an order to eject G. C. Nweze and Co out of the property, which had been forfeited to victims of crime as restitution on the strength of the judgment of Justice Oyewole. Ilechukwu mobilized court sheriffs and Police officers to the property and evicted G.C. Nweze and Co out of the property.

G.C Nweze and Co went back to the same Magistrate Court to set aside the order as same was obtained by fraud. Dissatisfied, Nwude and his lawyers wrote several petitions to different police units in Lagos and Abuja as well as to the Commission, while also filing different court suits. In the process, the Commission received a petition against Nwude and co-defendants and immediately launched investigations into the alleged criminal activities contained in the petition. Upon conclusion of investigation, the Commission preferred a charge against Emmanuel Nwude and his lawyers in Charge No. ID/6407C/2017 which consequently led to their conviction and sentence to one year imprisonment.