Monday, November 4, 2024- The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related
Offences Commission has arraigned the serving Provost of the Federal College of
Education (Technical) in Zamfara State, Hauwau Abdulkarim, alongside a lecturer
with the Sokoto State College of Education, Abdullahi Boyi, over alleged
certificate forgery.
The ICPC accused the two defendants of forging an appointment letter and
subsequent use of the same for application for the position of the Provost at
the college.
They were also accused of making false statements to ICPC officials in
the course of the investigation, which is an offence under Section 25(1) (a)
and punishable under Section 25 (ii) (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other
Related Offences Act 2000.
A statement released on Sunday by the commission’s spokesperson, Demola
Bakare, noted that the defendants pleaded not guilty to the six charges
preferred against them.
Count one of the charges read, “That you Hauwa’u Gimbiya Mukhtar
Abdulkarim (f) and Abdullah Boyi (m) sometime in 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 January 1, 2017, and you
thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 59(1) and punishable under
section 60(2) of the Sokoto State Penal Code Law,2019.”
Bakare said the defendants’ counsels, Dr Muhammad Aliyu and Mr M.S.
Diri, respectively, moved for applications for bail on behalf of their clients.
“They requested the court to consider reasonable terms for bail citing
the defendants’ established positions and cooperation during the
investigation,” adding that the ICPC’s counsel, Mr Suleiman Ahmad, did not
oppose the bail applications.
He said the trial judge, Justice Muhammad Sambo, after considering the
applications, granted bail 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
N1,000,000.
“Following the granting of bail, the ICPC prosecutor requested a date
for trial to commence, emphasising the commission’s preparedness to present
witnesses and evidence in support of the charges.
“Justice Sambo adjourned the matter to November 21, 2024, when the
hearing is set to begin,” he said.
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