By Emeka Amaefula
COUNSEL DOCKED IN COURT OVER PROTECTION OF CLIENT WITH ALLEGED FAKE CALL TO BAR CERTIFICATE
The melodrama that took place inside the courtroom Presided over by Honourable Justice C. Nwogu of Port Harcourt High Court in Rivers state on Wednesday 16th, November 2022 may be described as one of the most embarrassing moment for a legal practitioner as Barrister Daniel Asomeji, the legal Counsel representing Reverend Brother Philip Madu alias Okunerere, a popular General Overseer of Adoration Family Ministries located opposite Elimgbu Police Station, Elimgbu town Port Harcourt and Oyigbo town as he was asked by the presiding Judge to move over to the Dock and tell the Court reasons why he should not be sent to Port Harcourt Correctional Center(Prison) for haven asked the Judge to annul his Order which mandated Reverend Brother Philip Madu his client to appear in court and take Oral evidence in support of the fact that he is a trained legal Practitioner as he had tendered in documents which include his alleged 2015, Law Degree LL.B Certificate said to have been obtained from Nasarawa State University Kerfi, Nasarawa State and an alleged Nigerian Law School Call to Bar Certificate said to have been issued to him by Nigerian Law School and signed by the Chairman of Body of Benchers’ which allude that he is a recognized member of Nigerian Bar now under scrutiny by Honourable Justice C.Nwogu.
The matter of alleged Certificate forgery came up in a land grab matter involving the premises housing Adoration Family Ministries Elimgbu, Opposite Elimgbu Police Station Elimgbu town Port Harcourt now before Honourable Justice C. Nwogu when Brother Philip Madu in his Affidavit and counter Affidavit under Oath admitted that he is a trained legal Practitioner which made the Plaintiff’s Counsel to ask the Court to mandate the defendant Reverend Brother Philip Madu to show his Certificate as a proof for his claims. And he did forward his Certificates before Honourable Justice C. Nwogu. In furtherance to ascertain the credibility of the Certificates Plaintiff’s Counsel, Nnamdi Ofoegbu Esq. after due diligence wrote to Nasarawa State University with three names which Reverend Brother Philip used in his public documents and a Brochure of graduands of Law Faculty from 2015-2017 was provided and none of the three names viz avis Philip Madu, Philip Francis and Francis Philip Madu appeared in the Combined Convocation ceremony Brochure.
Prompted with this revelation Barrister Nnamdi Ofoegbu put up a Motion compelling Reverend Brother Philip Madu alias Okunerere to personally be present in Court for Oral evidence. But Okunerere, the General Overseer of Adoration Family Ministries Elimgbu town, Port Harcourt had not obeyed the Court ruling instead he had used various excuses which includes traveling overseas for Seminar. Prompted with demand for evidence for the foreign travel with Hotel reservations, Visa procurement and Seminar papers that he presented while in Overseas, his new defense Counsel now informed the Court that his client went to Kano in Nigeria and that’s why he couldn’t be available for a asking Oral evidence this took place when the case came up on Wednesday 16th of November,2022 as the defendant, Reverend Brother Philip Madu did not make himself available in the Court in the Suit no. PH/4450/CS/2020 instead his Counsel Barr. C.D Asomeji filed a court process pleading for Justice C Nwogu to quash the earlier Order inviting his client to show appearance in Court.
Angered by the unprofessional Conduct of defense Counsel C.D Asomeji Esq. the matter was adjourned to 8th December,2022 with the Order that Reverend Brother Philip Madu must be present in Court for the Oral evidence that he is a trained legal Practitioner.
It should be recalled that since the commencement of the case, the defendant Reverend Brother Philip Madu had changed legal representation severally that is his current Counsel being the fifth in series including Biobele W. Georgewill Esq. the last Counsel who withdrew vide a document he forwarded to the court entitled “WITH NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF LEGAL REPRESENTATION BROUGHT PURSUANT TO ORDER 48 RULE 2 OF THE HIGH COURT OF RIVERS STATE (CIVIL PROCEDURE) RULES,2010.“
At various court sittings Reverend Brother Philip Madu had always caused his Legal representatives to be embarrassed during court sittings and Honourable Justice C. Nwogu is not taking it lightly as he had fixed 8th December 2022 as a day Reverend Brother Philip Madu must show up or test the power of the Court’s Presiding Judge.
———Emeka Amaefula ——+234(0)8111813069
