Lagos Lawyer Jailed For Alleged Forgery To Defraud Bank
A Lagos-based lawyer, Chinwe Onuoha, along with her company, Eihcrim Nigeria Limited, has been arraigned and remanded in custody for allegedly presenting a forged document to defraud the Bank of Industry.
The pair faced a 12-count charge including forgery, fraud, conspiracy, and uttering false documents during their appearance before an Ikeja High Court on Thursday.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Following their pleas, police prosecutor Emmanuel Jackson requested that the court remand Onuoha in a correctional facility until the case is resolved and called for an expedited hearing.
Defense counsel Ikechukwu Chiaha urged the court to consider the defendants’ bail application, stating that he required additional time to prepare his case. After hearing from both sides, Justice Hakeem Oshodi ordered that Onuoha be held in custody pending the bail hearing.
The case has been adjourned until February 25 for further proceedings.
During the court session, the prosecutor revealed that the alleged offenses took place in 2020 within the court’s jurisdiction. He stated that the defendants created a false document titled “The Lease Agreement,” dated February 12, 2018, which was submitted to the Bank of Industry with the intention of misleading the bank to act on it as genuine, thereby harming one Ngozi Braide.
Jackson further alleged that this forged document was part of a scheme to fraudulently obtain a loan at the expense of the complainant. The charges against Onuoha and her company contravene Sections 516, 465, and 467 of the Criminal Code Cap. C38, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
