Court Jails Fake Lawyers For Three Years With Hard Labour

An Osun State Magistrates’ Court in IPetmodu on Monday, convicted and sentenced a fake lawyer, Melvin Oromidayo, to three years imprisonment with hard labour.

Magistrate Abosede Sarumi, sentenced Oromidayo after he pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of forgery, Impersonation and fraud brought against him by the police.

The court held that though the convict pleaded guilty a sinner must not go unpunished.

She added that the sentence would serve as deterrent to other offenders and the convict.

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Sarumi condemned the conduct of Oromidayo and wondered about the countless sorrows the fake lawyer must have caused aggrieved families who sees the lawyer as their saviour.

The Magistrate said “On count one, two, three, I sentence him to three years imprisonment on each count respectively with hard labour and without an option of fine.”

She added that the terms would run concurrently.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Asp Joseph Adebayo had told the court that the convict committed the offence on January 20, 2020 at Ipetumodu Magistrates’ Court, Ife North Local Government Area of Osun.

Adebayo said that the convict forged a stamp with the inscription: “MELVIN A OROMIDAYO ESQ, BARRISTER SOLICITOR REAL LEGAL CHAMBER”.

He added that the convict intended that the same stamp be acted upon as genuine with the impression of presenting himself as qualified lawyer, called to the Nigeria Bar.

According to him, the convict fraudulently uttered a false document with inscription: MELVIN A OROMIDAYO ESQ, BARRISTER SOLICITOR REAL LEGAL CHAMBER” which presented him to the public as a qualified Lawyer.

The Prosecutor stated further that the convict wrote a statement at the police station that he finished from Law School, Enugu, but failed at the final exam.

Adebayo expressed further that on January 21, he opened up and confessed that he is not a law student neither as he attended any University.

That he only went to Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti where he studied Estate Management.

Adebayo stated that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 467(4) and 484 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Osun, 2002.

29th March 2024
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