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Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja was on Wednesday fixed July 6 for ruling on whether to refer the case of alleged certificate forgery preferred against a Kwara lawmaker, Ahmed Ndakene, to the FCT Police Command.
The matter, which was slated for ruling on report from the police investigation, could not go further as the court was informed by the police that the report was not ready. The police, who was represented by Sgt. Buba Irimiya, apologised to the court for the delay and equally craved the court’s indulgence for an additional one week in order to submit the report. Irimiya told the court that he believed investigation had been concluded, however, the report was yet not ready.
In response to the police submission, Labio Oji, the complainant’s counsel, frowned at the submission and urged the court to use its discretion to refer the matter to a higher police station. He premised his application on Section 1 (1) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
The defence counsel, Alex Edim, in reply to the petitioner’s application, objected on grounds that the section cited was in favour of the defence position. He argued that to refer the matter to another police station would take more time as they would commence on the investigation all over.
Justice Inuwa Maiwada, after listening to the arguments of both counsel, adjourned the matter until July 6 for ruling on the applications brought by counsel. Nigerian Pilot recalls that the court in the last adjourned date directed the Utako Divisional Police Station to conduct an investigation into the allegation brought against Ndakene by way of direct criminal complaint by Mahmud Babako.
Babako, who was a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the election that Ndakene emerged as winner, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, alleged that the defendant, who represents Edu/Moro/Patigi Federal Constituency of Kwara, had criminally breached the provision of Section 88(1), 89(3) and 109c of the Administrative Criminal Justice Act 2015, by forging his certificate and presented same to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the form he used to contest in the 2019 election.
Source: Nigerian pilot
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