A law firm, Kayode Ajulo (SAN) & Co. Castle Of  Law, has dissociated itself from the petition purportedly filed before the Ondo State Commissioner of Police about harassment and assault of concerned Nigerians seeking justice for the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad.

The law firm in a disclaimer signed by its Senior Associate, Hamza N. Dantani, Esq. and Associate, Eniola Oyelami, Esq. on Monday demanded urgent and thorough investigation into the purported petition.

According to the law firm, the petition alleged criminal intimidation, assault, harassment, cyberbullying and threat against the justice for Mohbad peaceful protesters.

The firm said “We have recently become aware of a Petition that was sent on January 13th, 2024, to the Office of the Commissioner of Police, The Nigerian Police Force, Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex. 

“The petition was purportedly signed with a forged signature that does not belong to our Founding Partner or any other Partner or Associate of our Firm, either in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world.

“We were made aware of this letter by a respected colleague and close associate of our Founding Partners, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo (SAN), who is currently on leave from the Firm as he has been appointed as the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State, Nigeria.

“We are thankful for the openness of this trusted friend of the Firm and his prompt action in bringing the existence of the letter to our attention.

“First and foremost, we categorically state that the mentioned letter is a forgery, a sham, a counterfeit, and a poor imitation of the standards, quality, structure, and language that our Firm upholds. We strongly condemn this act of fraud against our esteemed Firm.

“Secondly, the address of our Firm in January 2024, when the letter was allegedly written, was No. 21, Amazon Street, Maitama and our current address is No 20, Jimmy Carter Street, Asokoro, Abuja. However, it appears that the forged letter bears the previous office address, No. 4, Abriba Close, Area 7, Garki Abuja, which the Firm vacated eight years ago and has not returned to since. 

“This incorrect address is falsely claimed as the Firm's current address in 2024.

“Thirdly, upon careful examination, the telephone numbers, email addresses, and websites listed in the forged letter are all unfamiliar to any of our Partners or staff members. None of them are associated with our Firm or our usual means of communication. 

“They are all unknown, vague, and should be viewed with suspicion by the Office of the Commissioner of Police, the other offices copied on the letter, and the general public.

“Fourthly, following the elevation of our Founding Partner to the rank of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, our firm has been using the letterhead "KAYODE AJULO (SAN) & Co." with "CASTLE OF LAW" underneath.”

The firm noted that in contrast, the cloned petition supposedly written in January adopted a letterhead that only stated "Legal Practitioners & Notaries Public," “which does not accurately represent the breadth of our firm's services, including ‘Barristers/Solicitors/Consultants/Arbitrators/ Notaries.’”

The law firm further stated that the cloned letterhead used in the forged petition lacked the Business Name Registration Number, which is a required detail on the firm’s approved letterheads and is absent in the forged letterhead used to write the petition to the Commissioner of Police.

According to the firm, “The act of forging the aforementioned petition is not only criminal but deeply appalling, disrespectful, alarming, and embarrassing. It should be thoroughly investigated and dealt with promptly. 

“Anyone found responsible for this unscrupulous act should be vigorously pursued by law enforcement agencies to deter others who may entertain the idea of engaging in similar deceitful actions in the future.

“Upon learning of the petition, our entire office was profoundly alarmed and deeply disturbed by this negative yet cowardly act committed by an unknown individual(s).

“Consequently, our Firm has initiated appropriate steps within the confines of the law, and those found to be involved in this dishonest act will be duly sued by our Firm based on our findings and verified evidence.

“We would like to emphasize that we completely disassociate ourselves from the referenced Petition, and we explicitly state that ti was neither prepared nor sent from the Law Firm of Kayode Ajulo (SAN) &Co. Castle of Law.

“We kindly request the Nigerian Police Force and the public to disregard and distance themselves from the referenced Petition and any associated outcomes.

“To verify the authenticity of any document from our Law Firm, we encourage you to visit our official website at www.castleoflaw.com.”