Police Arrest Fake Lawyer In Omoku

A middle-aged man, Mr. Ijeoma Smith Elemosah has been arrested by the Omoku Divisional Police Command, Rivers State, for allegedly impersonating and parading himself as a lawyer.
The suspect, who hails from Obie Community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) in Rivers State has also confessed to the crime following his arrest and transfer to the Commissioner of Police, Monitoring Unit, in Port Harcourt for further investigation.
The Tide investigation revealed that the suspect ran out of luck in his alleged shoddy deal, when the Paramount Ruler of Obie Community, Chief John Ochonma attempted to impose him on the community as a Community Development Committee (CDC) Chairman, without formal dissolution of the incumbent executive of the CDC and proper election of a new one.
The suspect was said to have issued threats to the incumbent CDC Chairman in the community, Mr. Gift Dappa and other members, resulting in a petition by the CDC to the Police to investigate the high handedness of the suspect, who also served as the Public Relations Officer of the incumbent CDC.
The bubble, however, burst when the Omoku Divisional Police Command, on a tip off, wrote the authorities of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) and the Council of Legal Education, Nigeria Law School, Enugu campus, to assist verify the claims of the suspect as having graduated from the two institutions.
In a reply letter from, the RSUST Senate, dated 17th June, 2014, with ref CB3383/RVS/OM/Vol2/88 signed by the Principal Assistant Registrar, Senate, C.M. Ewhorlu, the school stated that the name of the suspect was not captured in the school data base.
“We regret to inform you that we have searched our record and found that the name of this candidate is not captured in our database as a student of this University”, the letter stated.
Similarly, the Council of Legal Education, in a response letter, signed by, Deputy Director general of the Council, H.E. Osamor, stated that the name of the suspect was not found in the council’s record, as a former student.
In his reaction, the Chairman of the Ahoada Branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Barr. C.N. Obulo, also disclosed that he had no hint of the suspect as a practicing lawyer under the branch.
Barr. Obulo condemned the suspect’s act, and described it as a mockery of the legal profession.
The NBA boss further stated, the Branch was making efforts to fish out the likes of Elemosah for punishment.
Some members of Obie Community, who spoke with The Tide, expressed shock over the act of the suspect.
A traditional ruler in the community, Chief Allen Eze, said the community was surprised over the twist of events as everybody knows the suspect as the first “Lawyer” from the community who had been practicing over the years.
Eze, who is the treasurer of the Obie Council of Chiefs, blamed the Paramount ruler for the impending crisis in the community.
He said the Paramount Ruler was insistent on imposing the suspect as CDC Chairman against the popular wish of the people.
When contacted, the Paramount Ruler of Obie Community, Chief John Ochonma, was apprehensive, and refused to talk to this reporter, claiming that the Police was already on top of the situation.
Meanwhile, the Police Public relations Officer, Rivers State Command, DSP Ahmad Mohammed confirm the arrest, and stated that further investigation in the matter was ongoing.

Taneh Beemene