A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Edwin Anikwenu, alongside 13 lawyers from the Garki Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), stormed a High Court in Apo, Abuja, to defend human rights lawyer Barrister Victor Giwa, who had been accused of forgery by the police.
The police had alleged that Giwa forged the letterhead of Awa Kalu, SAN. In court, SAN Anikwenu prayed for Giwa’s release on bail, either on self-recognizance or, alternatively, to any executive member of the NBA Garki Branch. He emphasized that Giwa would not abscond or interfere with investigations, which he noted had already concluded.
Prosecutor Mr. Eristo ASAP opposed the bail application, warning that granting bail could jeopardize the case.
Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, however, granted Giwa bail set at N30 million with two sureties, each holding positions not below the level of a director with valid identification. Giwa was also directed to deposit his travel documents with the court registrar.
The case gained controversy after Prof. Awa Kalu formally distanced himself from the allegations. In a letter to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, dated May 30, 2025, Prof. Kalu clarified that he had never filed a complaint or reported Giwa for forgery of his firm’s letterhead.
“The internet is agog with news that a charge has been preferred against Mr. Giwa, indicating he forged my official headed paper. Please note that I have neither filed a complaint nor incidented a report at any Police Station in Nigeria indicating that Mr. Giwa forged my official headed paper,” the letter read.
This clarification undermined the foundation of the forgery allegation, which hinged on the alleged unauthorized use of Prof. Kalu’s firm name and letterhead.
Giwa had also written to the IGP on May 23, 2025, requesting an investigation into allegations of financial inducement behind his prosecution. He urged the IGP to probe the connections between the Commissioner of Police, Legal Services, Chiozoba Oyakhire Ehiede, and Ms. Asabe Waziri, a staff member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, citing the filing of frivolous charges against him and another individual.
Giwa had reportedly been detained for about three weeks without bail, a period his legal team described as arbitrary and politically motivated.
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