By Sunday Apah
Effurun, Delta State – In a stunning turn of events that has sent shockwaves through the legal community, a suspected fake lawyer, Collins Ehibor, was dramatically unmasked and subsequently arraigned in an Effurun Magistrate Court.
The audacious impostor, approximately 30 years old, had allegedly been preying on unsuspecting members of the public, masquerading as a legal practitioner.
The elaborate charade began to unravel when a keen-eyed lawyer, present at the Effurun – Uvwie Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force, Ekpan, spotted Ehibor in full legal regalia on a Saturday – an unusual sight that immediately piqued curiosity.
When approached, Ehibor’s evasive responses quickly exposed his deception, prompting the vigilant lawyer to alert members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Effurun Branch, which Ehibor had falsely claimed to be a part of.
Upon their swift arrival at the Area Command, former NBA Effurun Branch Vice Chairman, Oghenetega C. Ikpen, Esq., interrogated Ehibor.
The suspect’s claims of graduating from Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, in 2018/2019, and attending the Nigerian Law School, Enugu, crumbled under scrutiny as he failed to produce any evidence or even state the Law School’s location.
He further admitted to having failed the Bar Final Examination, claiming to be a re-sit student.
Ehibor’s undoing came while attempting to solicit on behalf of a client, Mr. Asuquo Nya, who had paid him N7,000.00, among other “professional fees,” to accompany him to the station.
Further incriminating evidence emerged from his phone’s wallpaper, which brazenly displayed him adorned in a lawyer’s wig and gown, falsely implying his call to the Nigerian Bar.
A lawyer’s bib found in his pocket, which he inexplicably claimed was for the Law School he couldn’t locate, sealed his fate.
Based on overwhelming evidence, it became clear that Ehibor had neither graduated from AAU nor proceeded to the Nigerian Law School.
He was promptly arrested and charged to court on July 6, 2026, in Charge No. ME/89C/2026: Commissioner Of Police vs. Ehibor Collins, before Chief Magistrate Gregory Epete Esq. of Magistrate Court 2, Ebrumede.
Ehibor faces a two-count charge of impersonation, punishable under Section 484 of the Criminal Code, and fraudulently obtaining by false pretense, punishable under Section 419 of the Criminal Code.
He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N200,000.00 with two sureties.
The courtroom was packed with members of the Effurun Branch of the NBA and other concerned individuals, witnessing the proceedings.
The case has been adjourned to July 14, 2026, for further hearing, as the legal community awaits justice for this brazen act of deception.
