Alleged Age Falsification: Court Declines Police Request To Arrest 5 Retired Senior Officers

Justice Halilu Yusuf of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has turned down a petition by the Inspector-General of Police to contented seat warrant against 5 erstwhile elder constabulary officers connected charges of forgery and property falsification.

All the accused idiosyncratic were absent successful tribunal connected Thursday, erstwhile the lawsuit came up erstwhile they were expected to beryllium arraigned.

Their scheduled arraignment was stalled owed to the inability of the constabulary to effect idiosyncratic work connected them.

During the proceedings, prosecution counsel, Rimamsomte Ezekiel, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), expressed disappointment that the defendants were absent successful tribunal contempt being served with the charge.

He told the tribunal that investigators made respective attempts to service the defendants done their known residential addresses lone to observe that they had relocated.

Ezekiel added that helium took other efforts to nonstop a brushed transcript of the complaint to their WhatsApp platforms and wondered wherefore they were not contiguous successful court.

He prayed the tribunal to contented a seat warrant against them successful accordance with the proviso of conception 266(1) of the Administrative of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.

However, Terkaa Aondo (SAN), who announced his quality for the defendants, informed the tribunal that nary of the defendants person been served with a transcript of the charge.

“My Lord, up till now, the defendants person not been served with a transcript of the charge. My Lord, this is not a civilian but a transgression substance which requires idiosyncratic service.

“Besides, until the defendants are decently served by the court, the petition by the prosecution for a seat warrant is premature. The constabulary has the apparatus to bring the defendants to court. If they tin spell each the mode to apprehension Nnamdi Kanu successful Kenya and besides apprehension Omoyele Sowore, wherefore can’t they apprehension the defendants and bring them to court? So, I impulse the tribunal to garbage the petition and bid the prosecution to bash the needful,” Aondo submitted.

In his ruling, Justice Yusuf agreed with the elder defence counsel that the matter, being a transgression complaint requires idiosyncratic work connected the defendants.

Justice Yusuf arsenic agreed that the constabulary has each the apparatus to apprehension and bring the defendants to tribunal for their arraignment.

The officers, AIG Idowu Owohunwa (Rtd), CP Benneth Igweh (Rtd), CP Ukachi Peter Opara (Rtd), DCP Obo Ukam Obo (Rtd), ACP Simon A. Lough SAN (Rtd) and others present astatine large, were accused of committing the offence of conspiracy with intent to perpetrate transgression offence punishable nether Section 97 (1) (2) of the Penal Code Law, being members of unit entrants of the Nigeria Police Force connected oregon astir 1999 till day successful FCT Abuja.

They were besides accused of falsifying and altering their ages and documents successful the sanction of Nigeria Police Force successful which they failed and could not vacate from bureau erstwhile they expected to permission connected status successful enactment with Public Service Rule of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The defendants allegedly remained successful bureau and illegally benefited the privileges of their offices, thereby committing the offence of cheating, punishable nether Section 324 of the Penal Code Law.

AIG Owohunwa (Rtd) was alleged to person connected oregon astir 30th April, 2021 successful FCT Abuja, arsenic a subordinate of unit entrants of the Nigeria Police Force Course 19 issued directives successful the sanction of the Inspector-General of Police connected the implementation of judgments which helium knew to beryllium by fraud with fake and falsified documents, an offence punishable nether Section 178 of the Penal Code Law.

ACP Lough, SAN (Rtd) was besides accused of dishonestly and fraudulently deposing to process of tribunal successful the lawsuit of AIG Idowu Owohunwa & 2 others v. PSC & 7 others, suit No: NICN/ABJ/88/2025 successful March, 2025 successful FCT Abuja, wherever helium claimed to person lone served for 25 years successful the Police, “knowing that, you are lying and besides dishonest erstwhile you enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force connected 1st August, 1987 and thereby committed offence punishable nether Section 158(1) of the Penal Code Law.”

For Owohunwa, helium was slammed with a complaint with intent to stay serving successful the Police against the proviso of the nationalist Service Rules of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, by alleged dishonest falsification and submission of a declaration of property dated 4th April, 1990 from Kogi State of Nigeria, wherever helium claimed to beryllium calved connected 20 July, 1970, an offence punishable nether Section 366 of the Penal Code Law.