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Twenty-one years after he was first convicted for defrauding a Brazilian bank of $242 million, serial fraudster Emmanuel Nwude has again been sentenced to prison for forging documents relating to one of the properties seized from him by a court in 2005.

The Special Offences Division of the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja convicted and sentenced Nwude and his two lawyers, Emmanuel Ilechukwu and Rowland Kalu, to one year imprisonment each for forgery and dealing in forfeited property located at Plot Y, Mobolaji Johnson Street, Oregun Alausa, Ikeja.

In her judgement, Justice Mojisola Dada found the defendants guilty on 13 of the 15 counts filed against them, while acquitting them on two counts relating to false statements.

Nwude and the two lawyers were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice Dada for allegedly forging documents relating to the property, creating documents without authority, dealing with forfeited property without authorisation, and transferring forfeited property to nominees.

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The trio were also charged with making false statements to a public officer, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, attempt to pervert the course of justice, fabricating evidence, giving false evidence under oath, and providing false information to the EFCC.

The offences were said to have been committed between 2011 and 2012.

Following a petition received by the EFCC in July 2017, the defendants were arraigned in March 2018, where they pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Nwude’s legal troubles date back to 2005 when he and three others were convicted by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole, who is now a Justice of the Supreme Court, for impersonating Paul Ogwuma, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to defraud Banco Noroeste, a Brazilian bank, of $242 million between 1995 and 1998.

During the prosecution of the earlier case, Nwude had indicated his intention to enter into a plea bargain with the prosecution.

Part of the agreement required him to surrender his assets, including landed properties, vehicles, shares and stocks, as well as the entire undertaking of his company, Emrus Auto Nigeria Ltd., to repay the defrauded funds.

In convicting Nwude in the earlier case, the court ordered that all the properties listed in the charge be forfeited to the victims of the crime as restitution.

The court further ruled that after the defendants had fulfilled the terms of the plea bargain, the fifth defendant, Emrus Auto Nigeria Ltd., should be wound up and its assets forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Following the judgement, the property located at Plot Y, Mobolaji Johnson Street, Oregun, Lagos, owned by Emrus Auto Nigeria Ltd., was sold.

Human rights activist Femi Falana has urged Nigeria to collaborate with other nations to mount diplomatic pressure on the United States over its actions in the ongoing conflict involving Iran and Israel.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) made the call during an interview on Politics Today programme aired on Channels Television on Thursday.

According to him, the Nigerian government must work with other countries to ensure adherence to international law and encourage global powers such as Russia and China to intervene in the escalating crisis.

He criticised the actions of Donald Trump, accusing the U.S. president of disregarding international law and United Nations resolutions.

“President Trump has no regard and shows contempt for international law. Hence, he has pulled the United States out of about 66 resolutions of the United Nations. To him, the resolutions of the United Nations mean nothing,” Falana said.

The senior advocate noted that Nigeria should revive its tradition of multilateral diplomacy, similar to the country’s role during the era of the Non-Aligned Movement, by working with other nations to push for restraint.

“Our duty as a country, as we used to do in the past, is to collaborate with other countries. When you talk of the days of non-alignment, we must now move very speedily to collaborate with other countries to mount pressure on Mr Trump,” he said.

Falana also stressed the importance of persuading major global powers such as Russia and China to intervene diplomatically, arguing that they wield considerable influence over Iran.

“We need to persuade China and Russia to intervene because those are the two countries that Iran will listen to,” he added.

Beyond the international dimension of the crisis, Falana called on Nigeria to strengthen its internal security architecture and reduce reliance on foreign powers for stability.

“Nigeria must wake up. We must learn from Iran that unless you reorganise your own country, unless you equip your armed forces and your police force, there is no way an imperialist country like America will guarantee law and order in your country,” he said.

He further urged the Federal Government to return to the drawing board on strengthening Nigeria’s security institutions, noting that Nigerian troops have historically performed commendably in international peacekeeping missions, including operations under the United Nations and the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG).

Falana also criticised the country’s management of its refining capacity, questioning why Nigeria’s state-owned refineries were no longer operational despite billions of dollars spent on their rehabilitation.

“If we say we have four refineries, nobody is talking about them any longer. The NNPC now solely relies on the Dangote Refinery. Is that how to run a country? After carrying money down the drain, about $2.9 billion was spent on the maintenance of our four refineries,” he said.

His comments come amid escalating hostilities involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which have heightened global geopolitical tensions and raised concerns about economic and security implications for countries such as Nigeria.

Iran Tension

A major war between the United States, Israel, and Iran began on February 28, 2026, after joint U.S.–Israeli airstrikes on Iran.

The attacks targeted Iranian leadership and infrastructure and reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was succeeded by his son Mojtaba Khamenei.

The war has entered its second week, with continued airstrikes on Iran and missile retaliation by Iran against U.S. bases and targets in Israel and several Gulf countries.

The conflict has caused major humanitarian damage, with more than 1,300 civilians killed in Iran, and about 3.2 million people displaced, while over 600 people have died in Lebanon during Israeli strikes against Hezbollah.

At least seven U.S. soldiers have also been reported killed. Iran has responded militarily by launching missiles at U.S. and allied targets across the region.

Impact, Oil Surge

The war has also disrupted the global economy. Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments, causing oil prices to rise above $100 per barrel.

In response to the supply shock, the International Energy Agency says it will release about 400 million barrels of crude oil to stabilise markets.

Diplomatically, the sides remain far apart. Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, says the war will only end if Iran’s rights are recognised, reparations are paid, and guarantees against future attacks are given.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” while Israeli leaders say their military operations will continue as long as necessary.

The conflict is also affecting Nigeria. Oil prices have surged, and petrol prices at home have jumped to about ₦1,000–₦1,300 and back to ₦1,075–₦1,165 per litre,
which could impact transport and food costs.

Nigeria is also evacuating its citizens from the region. The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission says Nigerians in Iran are being escorted across the Armenian border, and so far, none have been reported harmed.

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has reacted to a ruling of the Federal High Court in Akure restraining him from seeking another term in office, describing the decision as premature and a distraction from governance.

The governor reacted to the judgement while speaking as a guest on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

Aiyedatiwa said discussions about the 2028 off-cycle governorship election were unnecessary at this stage, noting that he had only recently secured a fresh mandate from the people of the state.

“This is too early. Why don’t you wait till 2027 or when the off-cycle timetable will be out in early 2028? Maybe at that time, I might begin to think, wait a minute, do I have the right to contest or not? At that time, one can begin to seek interpretation of some of these clauses in the constitution,” he said.

The governor stressed that his focus remains on delivering on the mandate given to him by voters in the November 16, 2024, governorship election.

“I went into a free and fair, conclusive election, which I won on the 16th of November 2024, so it is still fresh. I have never thought about any other election other than delivering on the mandate that has been given to me.

“Future elections were not in my mind at all because you have to go step by step, stage by stage,” Aiyedatiwa stated.

READ ALSO: Court Restrains Gov Aiyedatiwa From Seeking Re-Election

He added that although he was aware of the constitutional provision limiting a governor’s tenure to eight years, he had not begun considering how it might apply to him.

“I know the constitutional provision of eight years, but I have not even gone into that because I just won an election. All I was occupied with was to govern and deliver the dividends of democracy to the people until somebody woke up and began to challenge it,” the governor said.

Aiyedatiwa also described the suit as a distraction after the political battles he had already faced.

“You ask how I feel. I feel the same way. This distraction will be put to rest because it is a whole lot of distraction for me, having gone through election and survived impeachment,” he said.

Responding to political insinuations surrounding the suit, Aiyedatiwa dismissed claims that he was engaged in a political witch hunt or forcing members out of the All Progressives Congress.

According to him, the party remains dominant in Ondo State, and politics is ultimately “a game of numbers,” adding that he is not chasing anyone away from the party.

Court Ruling

Earlier on Thursday, a Federal High Court sitting in Akure restrained the governor from seeking another term in office.

In the judgement delivered by Justice Toyin Bolaji Adegoke, the court held that the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria does not permit an elected President, Vice President, Governor, or Deputy Governor to remain in office for more than eight years.

The suit was filed by Kin Egbuwalo, a member of the All Progressives Congress, who sought an interpretation of Section 137(3) of the Constitution regarding Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility to seek another term.

Through his counsel, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), the plaintiff argued that allowing the governor to contest again could extend his tenure beyond the constitutional limit.

The defendants in the suit included the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Governor Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress, and Deputy Governor Olayide Adelami.