Court To Rule On Emmanuel Nwude, Co-Defendants Over Alleged Forgery And Tampering With Forfeited Assets On February 13

Notorious convicted fraudster Emmanuel Nwude, alongside lawyers Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu, is set to learn their fate on February 13, 2026, in a high-profile case involving allegations of forgery and tampering with court-forfeited property.
Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, fixed the judgment date following oral submissions from both the prosecution and defense teams. The trio faces a 15-count charge centered on conspiracy, forgery, and attempting to deal in property previously ordered forfeited by a court.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nwude and his co-defendants allegedly conspired to forge documents related to a property that Justice Joseph Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos State High Court had mandated Nwude to forfeit to his victims. Specifically, the forged documents included a Power of Attorney in favor of Mankris Ventures Limited, purportedly granting control over the seized asset.
Defense counsels Chuks Nwanchukwu (for Nwude), Mrs. F.R.A. Williams (for Ilechukwu), and E. Nwokolo (for Kalu) urged the court to discharge and acquit all three defendants, arguing the charges lack merit. In contrast, EFCC prosecutor Nnaemeka Omewa pressed for conviction, describing the actions as a deliberate attempt to undermine judicial orders and defraud victims further.
This latest legal battle revives the infamous legacy of Nwude, often dubbed one of Nigeria’s most audacious scammers. In 2005, he was convicted by an Ikeja High Court—presided over by the same Justice Oyewole—for impersonating Paul Ogwuma, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor from October 1, 1993, to May 29, 1999. The scheme targeted Brazil’s Banco Noroeste, swindling the bank of $242 million between 1995 and 1998 in a scam promising to build a national monument.
At the time, it ranked as the third-largest bank fraud in history, contributing to Banco Noroeste’s collapse in 2001. Nwude received a 25-year prison sentence, marking the EFCC’s first major victory just two years after its establishment in 2003. He was released in 2016 after serving approximately 11 years, following a presidential pardon and time credited.
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