Zamfara State Police Command has paraded a fake lawyer whose name was given as Chukwuka Jude with a fake identification card, rubber stamp and letterhead carrying his chamber name, J.N Monyei and Co.
Addressing newsmen at the command headquarters, the state Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), SP Mohammed Shehu said the command received a complaint from the chairman of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) that one Chukwuka Jude 45 years old was caught impersonating as a lawyer.
“He was caught inside the Higher Shari’a Court in Tudun Wada area of Gusau, falsely acting as a lawyer to a client,” he said.
He said the suspect was arrested and brought to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), explaining that preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect has been putting appearances in different courts at Kaura Namoda, Birinin Magaji, Shinkafi and Gusau LGAs of the state.
“He was finally arrested for standing as a counsel to unsuspecting litigants for a fee”
The state police spokesman explained that prior to his arrest, the suspect deceived one of his victims who resides in Kuraje village in the district of Gusau Local Government Area by representing him at Higher Shari’a Court III in Gusau.
“He charged his client the sum of N100,000 for his services which he had already collected the sum of N23,000 as part payment”
“To further support the allegation, the suspect in a bid to escape arrest and prosecution offered the sum of N300,000 as a bribe to our court duty police officer who instantly rejected the offer”
“Exhibits recovered include ID card of a fake law firm, N.J Monyei and co, stamp and letterhead of the same fake firm. The suspect will be charged to court of competent jurisdiction for prosecution on completion of the investigation”
In another development, the police said it has also arrested one Hamza LA wali 30 and nine others now at large with dangerous weapons at Tsafe market who killed one Aliyu Danbala.
The police spokesman said the killing was causing fear and apprehension in the area and its environs, pointing out that investigations are still in progress.
Speaking further, SP Shehu said the police in a sustained working synergy with other security agencies in the state, arrested a suspect.
“The suspect while undergoing interrogation confessed that sometime in 2019, himself and his other gang members now at large conspired and masterminded the kidnapping of the victim in which the sum of N7,000,000 was paid as ransom before he regained freedom”
The police said the suspect further confessed that out of the ransom paid, he was given the sum of five hundred and thirty thousand naira as his own share of the deal.
The police spokesman said the sum of N479,400 was recovered from him with other exhibits, informing that investigation was still in progress to arrest other fleeing suspects before charging them to court for prosecution.
He said another seven persons who specialize in car snatching, criminal conspiracy, theft of motor vehicles were apprehended in Gummi Local Government Area of the state.
He gave the names of the suspects as Hamza Abubakar, Sani Abubakar, Babangida Tukur, Ibrahim Mohammed, Mani Mohammed, Bashir Dalhatu, and Umar Ku sari.
SP Shehu said a Toyota Corolla car, black in colour, a Toyota Corolla, red in colour and the sum of N500,000 was recovered from them.
