Judge Brought 20 Armed Policemen To Court To Intimidate Me – Lawyer

*Vows to report incident to CJN FCT CJ

Human Rights lawyer, Barrister Victor Giwa has said a judge, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Apo, brought in about 20armed policemen to court to intimidated him during his trial.

He vowed to report the incident to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN and the Chief Judge of the FCT high court, through a letter.

He said, “The judge brought 20 armed policemen to the court today because of me. Ten of those policemen were inside the courtroom. A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, had to ask the judge, ” My Lord, what is happening, why do we have policemen in the court”?

“There were armed men inside the courtroom. When I saw the policemen, I was thinking they came to arrest me, so, I hid inside my car. It was Justice Jude and Asabe Waziri, a staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, that made that arrangement.

“The judge is intimidating me in the court, I cannot get justice. I am writing a letter to the CJ and the CJN that I am not even safe in the court of Justice Jude because he has taken the case personal against me.”

Giwa while attempting to make submission before the court urged the court to give him audience.

The police had accused Giwa of forging letterhead paper of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Awa Kalu.

But Awa Kalu, in a letter to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode. Egebtolun, put a lie to the allegation of the police against Ibitade and Giwa.

Despite the letter of Prof. Awa Kalu to the Inspector-General of Police, formally distancing himself from the allegation of forgery and impersonation against Giwa and Ibitade, the police have gone ahead to press charge against Giwa.

Chief 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.

Professor Kalu, in a letter dated May 30, 2025, addressed to the Inspector General of Police, clarified that he neither filed a complaint nor reported Mr. Giwa for allegedly forging his firm’s letterhead.

During the proceedings, Thursday, Giwa broughta medical report that he was indisposed and would not be able to proceed with the matter.

He also added that he had e gaged a new lawyer who is supposed to argue his case for him before the court.

But the judge insisted that he must go on with the case.

Giwa had filed an application urging the judge to recuse himself from the matter.

The court was ready to begin hearing of the motion when Giwa told the court that he had a medical report from the hospital amd would not be able to proceed on the ground if ill-health.

But the judge insisted that he must proceed and move his application.

He later told the court that he was just served with the amended coubter-motion of the Police and had not had the opportunity to go through it.

It was at that point that the court adjourned the case to December 10, 2025.

In the application, Barrister Giwa asked the judge to recuse himself from the matter on the ground of bias and partisanship.

He said that he has no chance of getting justice before the court.