- Safiu Kehinde
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned the serving Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical) (FCET), Gusau, Hauwau Abdulkarim and a lecturer with the Sokoto State College of Education (SSCE) Sokoto, Abdullahi Boyi, over alleged certificate forgery.
This was confirmed in a statement issued by the anti-graft agency on the official website on Sunday.
According to the statement, the duo were arraigned on a six-count charge, registered as charge No. SS/213c/2024, before Justice Muhammad Aliyu Sambo at the Sokoto State High Court.
ICPC accused the two defendants of forging an appointment letter and subsequent use of same for application for the position of Provost at the Federal College of Education(Technical) Gusau, Zamfara State.
They were also accused of making false statements to the officers of the ICPC in the course of investigation which is reportedly an offence under Section 25(1) (a) and punishable under Section 25 (ii) (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related offences Act 2000.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you Hauwa’u Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim (F) and Abdullah Boyi (M) sometimes in the year 2023 or thereabout at Sokoto within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to do an illegal act to wit: forgery of a letter of “Notification for Appointment” to the Post of Chief Lecturer on COMPCASS 14 with effect from 1st January, 2017 and you thereby committed an offencecontrary to section 59(1) and punishable under section 60(2) ofthe Sokoto State Penal Code Law,2019.”
However, both defendants pleaded ‘not guilty’ to all six charges when read to them by the Court’s Registrar.
The defendants’ counsels respectively moved for applications for bail on behalf of their clients.
They prayed to the court to consider reasonable terms for bail citing the defendants’ “established positions and cooperation during the investigation.”
With the Counsel to the ICPC, Suleiman Ahmad not opposing the bail applications, the judge, granted bail after considering the applications but under specific conditions designed to ensure the defendants’ continued presence throughout the trial proceedings.
The bail conditions require each defendant to provide two sureties who are permanent residents of Sokoto State, with each surety signing a bond of one million naira (₦1,000,000).
Following the granting of bail, the ICPC prosecutor requested a date for trial to commence, emphasizing the Commission’s preparedness to present witnesses and evidence in support of the charges.
Justice Sambo adjourned the matter to 21st November, 2024, when the hearing is set to begin.
The prosecution is expected to call witnesses and introduce material evidence to substantiate the allegations.