FCT High Court Grants Adjournment in Trial of Lawyers Alleged to Forge SAN Documents

By Ifiok Ekanem, Abuja

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, sitting in Apo, Abuja, on Monday granted yet another adjournment in the ongoing trial of Abuja-based lawyers Victor Giwa and Ibitade Bukola. 

The adjournment was at the request of the first defendant, despite strong opposition from the prosecution.

Giwa and Bukola are facing charges from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) over allegations of forging official documents and impersonating Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Awa Kalu. 

The prosecution claims the defendants intended to mislead the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF) into withdrawing a criminal charge previously filed against Giwa before Justice Samira Bature of the FCT High Court, Maitama. 

Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.

At Monday’s proceedings, the prosecuting counsel, Theophilus Silas, informed the court that the matter was set for the hearing of the prosecution’s motion and requested to move it.

However, counsel for Giwa, Farouk Akanbi of the law firm of Ahmed Raji SAN, stated that his firm had only been briefed on Sunday, and Giwa himself had intended to personally handle the case but was unavailable due to prior engagements. 

Akanbi requested an adjournment to allow proper preparation of the defense.

Counsel for Bukola, Ogbu Aboje, supported the request for a short adjournment, noting that the first defendant had filed a pending motion to relist an earlier application that had been struck out, which the court should consider in the interest of justice.

The prosecution opposed the adjournment, describing it as a delay tactic. Silas noted that this was the seventh adjournment sought by the first defendant and the fourth time he had changed counsel, arguing that the repeated delays were preventing the fair and timely hearing of the trial. 

He cited Section 396(4) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and Section 36(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantee the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time.

Justice Onwuegbuzie expressed concern over Giwa’s conduct, noting that he had at various times represented himself or appeared with three different SANs and over 30 different counsel. 

The judge observed that the first defendant often adopted strategies to delay proceedings and highlighted that petitions to the FCT Chief Judge and the National Judicial Council (NJC) could not halt the ongoing trial.

While emphasizing the court’s reliance on evidence over theatrics, Justice Onwuegbuzie granted the adjournment in the interest of justice, setting the next hearing for February 4, 2026.