Abuja Lawyer Victor Giwa Gets N30m Bail In Forgery Case

An Abuja High Court sitting in Apo has granted human rights lawyer, Victor Giwa, bail in the sum of N30m following his arraignment on charges of forgery and impersonation brought against him by the Nigeria Police Force.

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, in his ruling on Wednesday, ordered Gina’s release upon meeting the bail conditions, which include producing two sureties not below the rank of a director in the civil service, each with a valid means of identification.

The court also directed Giwa to deposit his international passport with the court registrar pending the conclusion of the trial.

The decision came after a team of 14 lawyers, led by Edwin Anikwenu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, appeared in court to defend Giwa.

The legal team, drawn largely from the Garki Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), condemned what they described as sustained police harassment of their colleague.

While arguing the bail application, Anikwenu urged the court to admit Giwa to bail on self-recognizance or, alternatively, to release him into the custody of the NBA Garki leadership.

He noted that the police investigation into the matter had already been concluded and that Giwa posed no risk of absconding or interfering with the case.

However, police prosecutor Eristo Asap opposed the bail request, claiming that granting bail could jeopardize ongoing proceedings.

The court, after reviewing the submissions, disagreed and held that the prosecution failed to provide convincing reasons to deny bail.

Giwa’s troubles started after he allegedly forged the official letterhead of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Awa Kalu, to communicate with the Attorney-General of the Federation.

The police said the document was used to mislead the AGF in a previous case.

However, in a letter dated May 30, Prof. Kalu formally distanced himself from the allegation, clarifying that his letterhead had never been forged and that he had not lodged any complaint with the police against Giwa.

“Please note that I have neither filed a complaint nor reported Mr. Victor Giwa for allegedly forging my official headed paper,” the letter stated.

Despite Kalu’s disclaimer, the police proceeded with the charge, which Giwa has described as malicious and politically motivated.

In a separate letter dated May 23, Giwa called on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate alleged inducements behind the filing of the case.

Giwa had spent nearly three weeks in police custody before Wednesday’s ruling, following a bench warrant earlier issued against him for failing to appear in court.

His co-defendant, Ibitade Bukola, remains at large.

The court adjourned further hearing in the matter to a later date.