An alleged fake lawyer, Uduonu Chijioke, has confessed to not being a lawyer as claimed but a classroom teacher in one of the private schools in Ebonyi State.According to the suspect, his father is the real lawyer, while he is not.
The fake lawyer made the confession in Abakaliki, after he was arrested by the police following an alarm raised by members of the Car/Sticker team of the Nigeria Bar Association (Abakaliki Branch). Our correspondent gathered that the suspect was stopped at a checkpoint manned by the NBA Car/Sticker taskforce, which queried him over the ownership of the car he was driving, which had their sticker on it.
He, however, sped off to an unknown destination with one of the members of the car sticker team who hopped into his car for enquiries during the stop and search exercise.
It was also gathered that he was arrested after the police have trailed him and found him where he was allegedly videoing and taking shots of the taskforce member he went away with, where he was said to be threatening to kill him and his members.
When contacted by the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abakaliki Branch, Mr Okorie Ogbonna confirmed the arrest and added that the suspect had committed a crime by claiming to be a lawyer when he was not.
He also accused the suspect of kidnapping one of his members.
According to him, “In our branch or even at the national Secretariat, we a unit that checks and monitors the use of NBA stickers by nonlawyers and we work with the federal and states governments to enforce this. And in Abakaliki Branch, we have a committee called the NBA Car/Sticker Committee. This Committee monitors the fraudulent use of NBA stickers, beards, and gowns.“
What necessitated this was the unwarranted use of the NBA stickers by some motorists, who impersonate legal practitioners. Recently, we had a case of a vehicle with the NBA sticker, that brought arms and ammunition into the state. And we said we don’t like it and cannot fold our hands and watch people infiltrate into the profession and destroy its image, that it’s a noble profession and we can’t condone evil.
“And in consonance with the Police and other security agencies, we have a committee that goes out intermittently to monitor vehicles with NBA stickers and when we intercept you and you verify yourself with documents evidencing yourself as a lawyer, that is when we can let you go. And if you are not a lawyer, we will hand you over to the Police. And with this, we have prosecuted and sent many to prisons.“
Like today, Wednesday, the Committee members were on duty. Some people were intercepted and interrogated. Many of them convinced the Committee that they were legal practitioners or their spouses were legal practitioners and they were allowed to go.
“But there was an instant case of a motorist, who refused to entertain our questions and even speed off with our member in his car, inside a place. We had to inform the Commissioner of Police, in the state, who detailed the A-Unit or a detachment of policemen, who came and got him arrested. That was a clear case of kidnapping and that’s a double offence.”
While adding his words, the Chairman of the NBA Car/Sticker Taskforce, Mr Sampson Ekigbo, noted that the suspect threatened to kill him and his team members, wondering why enforcing a lawful order was a crime.
Ekigbo said, “This man is a man of doublespeak and he is criminally-minded the way he talks and behaves. When we stopped him at the Union Bank junction this morning, he told us he was from Ngbo, in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state. Now, in the Police Station, after he tried to kidnap one of us, he is saying he is from Anambra State. Let him go to the court and prove it.”
The suspect who later claimed to be a teacher at Bethel Comprehensive Secondary School, Abakaliki, said he drove off with one of the task force members in his car, because he felt they were kidnappers, alleging they wore nothing that indicated they were on a stop-and-search assignment.
He said, “I am from Anambra State and I work here in Ebonyi State as a teacher and I’m also a lecturer at Enugu State College of Education. I was going to work (Bethel Comprehensive Secondary School, where I teach), and I was stopped by some persons and they were not in Police uniform or that of any of the sister agencies.“
There was no means of identification and they first asked me who I was if I were a lawyer, and I told them I was not. They asked me about the NBA sticker on my car, I told them the car was my father’s. And immediately one of them entered into my car and immediately, and I drove off. We got to the school where I teach and I went into my office and sign in to the attendance register.
“Later, two of his (the man that got into my car) colleagues arrived at the school with some policemen, who got me arrested. There was never a time I threatened them to kill them. I only used my Android and snap them for reference.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs Loveth Odah, said she would get back to our correspondent after verifying with the Divisional Police Officer of Central Police Station, Abakaliki, who led the operation. She was yet to do so as of the time of filing this report
