A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, has ruled that it will continue hearing an alleged forgery case involving human rights lawyer, Barrister Victor Giwa, despite petitions written against the presiding judge. The court dismissed Giwa’s request for the judge to step aside and insisted that the trial must go on.

Giwa had approached the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), claiming he could no longer get a fair hearing before Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie due to alleged bias. He asked that the case be transferred to another judge. However, in a ruling delivered on Wednesday, the court rejected his application and ordered the defence to proceed.

During arguments, Giwa maintained that justice must be built on public confidence, which he said had been lost in the case. The prosecution, led by Theophilous Silas, countered that petitions alone cannot stop a criminal trial, especially since a witness had already been called. The court agreed with the prosecution, stating that no directive had been received from the Chief Judge to halt proceedings.

The judge later adjourned the case to January 26, 2026, after dismissing Giwa’s request for an indefinite adjournment. Giwa and a co-accused are being prosecuted by the police over alleged forgery of a senior lawyer’s letterhead. However, the said lawyer, Chief Awa Kalu (SAN), has denied making any complaint, insisting he neither accused Giwa nor reported him to the police.