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

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

When the lawsuit came up, each the accused persons were absent from tribunal connected Thursday.

They were expected to beryllium arraigned earlier the court, but were each absent.

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 person 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 due earlier 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 substance being transgression charges 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.

Some of the charges against them read:

That you, 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 who are present astatine large, being members of unit entrants of the Nigeria Police Force connected oregon astir 1999 till day successful FCT Abuja, committed the offence of conspiracy with intent to perpetrate transgression offence punishable nether Section 97 (1) (2) of the Penal Code Law.

“That you 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 who are present astatine large, who are members of unit entrants of the Nigeria Police Force connected oregon till January, 2025 successful FCT Abuja, falsified and altered your ages and documents successful the sanction of Nigeria Police Force successful which you failed and could not vacate from bureau erstwhile you expected to permission connected status successful enactment with Public Service Rule of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, remained and illegally benefited the privileges of your bureau and thereby committed offence of cheating, and punishable nether Section 324 of the Penal Code Law.

“That you AIG Idowu Owohunwa (Rtd) 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, judgement which you cognize to beryllium by fraud with fake and falsified documents and thereby committed the supra offence punishable nether Section 178 of the Penal Code Law.

“That you ACP Simon A. Lough SAN (Rtd) connected oregon astir 25″ time of March, 2025 successful FCT Abuja, dishonestly and fraudulently depose to process of tribunal successful the lawsuit of AIG Idowu Owohunwa & 2 others v. PSC & 7 others, suit No: NICN/ABJ/88/2025A that you person lone served for 25 years successful the Nigeria Police Force, 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.

“That you AIG Idowu Owohunwa (Rtd) connected oregon astir December, 2024 successful Abuja, with intent to stay serving successful the Nigeria Police Force against the proviso of the nationalist Service Rules of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, dishonestly falsified and submitted to the Nigeria Police Force Record, a declaration of property dated 4th April, 1990 Kogi State of Nigeria, that you are calved connected 20 July, 1970 and thereby committed offence punishable nether Section 3...