Police harassment: Court grants lawyer, Bukola Ibitade, N30m bail
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Apo, has granted a lawyer, Mrs Bukola Ibitade, bail.
Ibitade and her boss, Barrister Victor Giwa, were accused by the police of forging a letterhead belonging to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Awa Kalu.
However Kalu, in a letter to the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egebtokun, debunked the allegations against Ibitade and Giwa.
Despite Kalu’s letter to the IGP formally distancing himself from the allegation of forgery and impersonation against Giwa and Ibitade, the police went ahead to press charges against the duo.
Kalu, in the letter to the IGP dated May 30, 2025, said his letterhead was never forged and that he had not at anytime lodged any complaint to the police about forgery of his document.
He clarified that he neither filed a complaint nor reported Giwa for allegedly forging his firm’s letterhead.
“I wish to inform you that the internet is agog with news that a charge is preferred against the above named gentleman, indicating that he forged my official headed paper.
“Please note that I have neither filed a complaint nor have I incidented a report at any Police Station in Nigeria indicating that Mr. Victor Giwa forged my official headed paper,” parts of the letter read.
The letter was in response to Charge No. CR/150/25 instituted by the police, in which Giwa and Ibitade were accused of forging the official letterhead of “Awa U. Kalu (SAN) and Partners” — formerly “Awa U. Kalu (SAN) and Associates” — to communicate with the Attorney General of the Federation.
During the hearing of the bail application, Ibitade’s counsel, Ogbu Aboje, urged the court to grant her bail on liberal terms.
According to him, the defendant is a lawyer and cannot jump bail.
“We have a motion dated October 8, 2025 and filed on the same date. The motion seeks an order to admit the 2nd defendant to bail pending the hearing and determination of the case.
“We are seeking an order of the court to admit the second defendant to bail on very liberal condition. We urge the court to dismiss the counter affidavit of the prosecution and grant them defendant bail,” he argued.
The prosecution counsel, Mr Eristo Asaph, objected to the bail application.
“We are opposing the bail application and have filed counter affidavit deposed to, by one Clement Akpan and the counter affidavit is accompanied by one exhibit marked “NPF A” and it’s also accompanied by a written address. We urge my lord to refuse the application,” Asaph said.
In his ruling, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, granted Ibitade bail in the sum of N30 million with two sureties who must be level 16 civil servants.
According to the court, the sureties must be able to produce the defendant at every sitting of the court amd must have valid ID cards.
The first defendant, Victor Giwa, had also in a letter to the Inspector General of Police, dated 23rd May, 2025, asked the IGP to probe the allegation of financial inducement to charge him to court.
Specifically, Giwa asked the IGP to investigate the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Legal Services of the Nigeria Police, Chiozoba Oyakhire Ehiede, AIG Aina Emmanuel and Ms Asabe Waziri, for allegedly filing a frivolous charge against him and Ibitade.