Defendant forged university, NYSC certificates- witness tells court

Mr Yilzen Hoonkwap, an Assistant Chief Superintendent of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), told an Abuja court that Tiemo Alabogha, a former staff member of the the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF),forged her University and NYSC Certificates.

The commission charged the defendant with 11 counts bordering on forgery on Oct. 13, 2024..Alabogha, was accused of producing and presenting a forged Bachelor of Education certificate from the University of Calabar (UNICAL) to NSITF, knowing full well that it was not genuine.

The ICPC said she committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 364 of the Penal Code, Laws of the FCT.

She pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Hoonkwap, while being led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Aniekan Ekong said that the ICPC received a petition from the NSITF for investigation.

” My team and I, analysed the petition and discovered that the defendant was offered employment as deputy manager based on a degree certificate in Education with specialisation in Tourism and Eco Management, University of Calabar.

” We saw a confirmation letter of the result purportedly signed by the registrar of the university confirming that the result of the defendant was genuine, ” he said.

According to him, in the said file were two NYSC exemption certificates dated March 6, 2007 and March 9, 2009 respectively.

“We wrote to the university attaching a copy of the certificate in the file and NYSC also asking for the confirmation of the genuineness of the certificates,

“In the defendant’s file, there was a confirmation from the university regarding her result and one Sunday Akpabio whom is at large.

“The university stated clearly that the defendant’s results were forged, ” he said.

The commission, he said, placed a freezing order on all her bank accounts and she was eventually arrested by the Nigeria Police and handed over to the commission

He said that when the defendant was questioned, she confessed that someone procured the result for her but could not remember the name and does not have the number anymore.

The prosecution counsel tendered the petition, offer of employment, confirmation, forged degree certificate, NYSC exemption certificate and authentic response from the university which were admitted as exhibits.

The defence counsel, Okechukwu Uju-Azorji, however, objected to the statement of the defendant saying that she was forced and threatened to make the statement.

Uju-Azorji applied for bail saying that the alleged offence was bailable under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA ) and urged the court to grant it in the most liberal terms.

The prosecution however, noted to the court that the defendant’s appointment had been terminated from NSITF and cannot vouch for her current contact address.

Justice Kezziah Ogbonnaya granted the defendant bail with two sureties whom must be Federal Civil Servants of not less than Grade level 14 and have not less than 10 years left in service.

Ogbonnaya ordered that the sureties must show evidence of N3 million in their bank accounts and ordered that the defendant be remanded in Suleja prison till she fulfilled the bail conditions.

She adjourned the matter until May 12 for trial within trial. (NAN)