An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Braide, has told the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja how her lawyer and former friend, Chinwe Onuoha, allegedly forged documents to convert her residential property in Ikorodu into an industrial factory and secure a loan from the Bank of Industry.
Braide, who appeared as a prosecution witness, gave evidence before Justice Hakeem Oshodi on Tuesday while being led in evidence by the prosecutor, Emmanuel Jackson.
Onuoha and others said to be at large are facing a 12-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and uttering of false documents.
According to the prosecution, Onuoha allegedly forged a lease agreement dated February 12, 2018, and submitted it to the Bank of Industry to obtain a loan facility using Braide’s property without her consent.
Testifying in court, Braide said her decade-long relationship with Onuoha deteriorated after she offered the lawyer temporary accommodation following a dispute with her landlord.
“I met the defendant in 2011, and we became very close friends. She was like a family member, visited my house, stayed for days, and even travelled abroad with my family.
“In 2019, she called me early in the morning that she was detained at a police station in Ogun State following a dispute with her landlord over eviction. I went there, paid for her bail, and saw that her landlord had thrown her belongings out on the street.”
Braide said she subsequently offered Onuoha temporary accommodation at her four-bedroom residential property, which has two sitting rooms, in Ikorodu.
She said she built the property after returning from a peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2008.
“I allowed her to stay for three months so she could find another place. I introduced her to the family I bought the land from as my sister and gave them money to clean the house before she moved in,” the witness added.
Braide said the three-month arrangement eventually lasted for more than a year, but she did not ask Onuoha to leave until 2021, when insecurity in her home state prompted her to request the property for her brother’s family.
She said Onuoha eventually moved out, but their communication subsequently broke down.
Braide told the court that in January 2022, after the New Year celebrations, she visited the property with her driver and some elders and was shocked by what she found.
“In January 2022, after the New Year celebrations, I went to inspect the property with my driver and some elders. To my utter shock, I met about five workers and their manager, named David.
“The property had been converted into ‘Shearwater Factory.’ The internal walls and partitions were knocked down, and heavy-duty industrial machines, wires, and pipes were installed inside my house, with workers living inside,” she testified.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case until November 10, 2026, for the cross-examination of the witness by the defence counsel.
The allegations against Onuoha remain before the court, which will determine the matter.