An Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Victor Giwa, has petitioned the Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), requesting that his ongoing case be withdrawn from Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie over alleged judicial bias.

Giwa, who is standing trial on charges of forgery and conspiracy, claims that the judge has displayed partiality, making it impossible for him to receive a fair trial.

In his petition, dated November 12, 2025, Giwa recounted several instances he says demonstrate bias, including the issuance of a bench warrant against him and a co-defendant for failing to attend court, despite the alleged lack of proper service of the charges.

He further alleged that Justice Onwuegbuzie amended the conditions of his bail without his presence or that of his counsel and proceeded to hear the substantive case despite his application challenging the court’s jurisdiction.

Giwa also described an incident on November 12, 2025, where the court began delivering a ruling on his recusal motion before he had formally moved it, only pausing after the intervention of the court’s Legal Adviser. He described the incident as evidence of “manifest bias and partisanship,” arguing that justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done.

“My Lord, I do not believe that I can get substantial justice from the court of Honourable Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie… I humbly request that the judge recuse himself from the case for manifest bias and conduct capable of ridiculing the judiciary and undermining the course of justice,” Giwa wrote.

The charges against Giwa stem from allegations that he forged the letterhead of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Chief Awa Kalu. However, Kalu himself disavowed the claims in a letter to the Inspector General of Police, stating that his letterhead was never forged and that he had neither filed a complaint nor reported Giwa to the police.

Despite Kalu’s clarification, the police proceeded with the charges, prompting Giwa’s petition to the Chief Judge.