A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Mr Edwin Anikwenu and 13 lawyers from the Garki Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, on Wednesday stormed a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, sitting in Apo, to defend human rights lawyer, Barrister Victor Giwa, in a forgery case filed against him by the police.
In the charge, the police accused Giwa of forging the letterhead of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor Awa Kalu.
While arguing the bail application for Giwa, Anikwenu prayed the court to admit him to bail on self recognizance or in the alternative, release him to any executive member of the NBA Garki branch.
According to him, the grounds of the application is in the body of the motion, supported by an affidavit deposed to by one Abu Gabriel.
“In line with the rules of the court, we have filed a written address with the bail motion. He will not jump bail, he will not also interfere with investigation, which has been concluded. We urge the court to grant him bail,” the SAN argued.
The prosecutor, Mr Eristo ASAP, objected to the bail application, arguing that granting Giwa bail may jeopardize the case before the court.
However, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, in his ruling, granted Giwa bail in the sum of N30 million with two sureties – who must not be less than the level of a director, with a valid identity card.
The judge also asked Giwa to deposit his travel document with the registrar of the court.
Despite a letter forwarded by Prof. Awa Kalu to the Inspector-General of Police, formally distancing himself from the allegation of forgery and impersonation against Giwa, the police had gone ahead to press charges against the lawyer.
Victor Giwa, a human rights lawyer, had been detained by the police for about three weeks without being granted bail, reportedly on the orders of the court.
Kalu, in a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, had said his letterhead was never forged and that he had not at anytime lodged any complaint to the police about forgery of his document.
In the letter dated May 30, 2025, Kalu clarified that he neither filed a complaint nor reported Giwa for allegedly forging his firm’s letterhead.
The letter was in response to Charge No. CR/150/25 instituted by the police, in which Giwa is accused of forging the official letterhead of “Awa U. Kalu (SAN) and Partners” — formerly “Awa U. Kalu (SAN) and Associates” — to communicate with the Attorney General of the Federation.
Kalu’s letter to the IGP read: “I wish to inform you that the internet is agog with news that a charge is preferred against the above named gentleman, indicating that he forged my official headed paper.
“Please note that I have neither filed a complaint nor have I incidented a report at any Police Station in Nigeria indicating that Mr. Victor Giwa forged my official headed paper.”
Also, Giwa had in a letter dated 23rd May, 2025, asked the IGP to probe the allegation of financial inducement to charge him to court.
Specifically, Giwa urged the IGP to investigate the Commissioner of Police, Legal Services of the Nigeria Police, Chiozoba Oyakhire Ehiede and Ms Asabe Waziri, for allegedly filing a frivolous charge filed against him and one other.
