An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ngozi Braide, has told the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja how her lawyer and longtime friend, Chinwe Onuoha, allegedly converted her residential property in Ikorodu into a factory without her consent.
Braide, who testified as a prosecution witness before Justice Hakeem Oshodi on Tuesday, alleged that Onuoha forged documents to secure a loan from the Bank of Industry using the property.
The defendant 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 the loan facility.
Narrating how their relationship began, Braide said she met Onuoha in 2011 and they became close friends, with the lawyer enjoying access to her family and home.
She told the court that in 2019, Onuoha called her for help after being detained at a police station in Ogun State over a dispute with her landlord.
Braide said she secured her friend’s bail and, out of compassion, offered her temporary accommodation in her four-bedroom house with two sitting rooms in Ikorodu.
The police officer explained that she built the property after returning from a peacekeeping mission in Liberia in 2008.
She said the arrangement was initially for three months but lasted for more than a year. She eventually asked Onuoha to vacate the property in 2021 so her brother’s family could move in.
According to Braide, she inspected the house in January 2022 with her driver and some elders, only to discover that it had been converted into a factory.
“To my utter shock, I met about five workers and their manager, named David,” she told the court.
She alleged that the internal walls and partitions had been demolished, while heavy-duty industrial machines, wires and pipes had been installed. She added that some workers were also living on the premises.
Justice Oshodi adjourned the case until November 10, 2026, for cross-examination of the witness by the defence counsel.