Crime & Court
I didn’t forge WAEC certificate, says Adeleke
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 2018 Osun State governorship election, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has told the Court of Appeal in Abuja that he did not forge the West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate he presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to get clearance for the poll.
Senator Adeleke maintained that the certificate he attached to his nomination Form CF 001 was lawfully issued to him and was confirmed by WAEC in its affidavit which it submitted as evidence to the Federal Capital Territory High Court in the Bwari area of Abuja.
He, therefore, asked the court to set aside the judgment of Justice Oathman Musa of an Abuja High Court which ‘erroneously’ held that his certificate was forged as alleged by two chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the final adoption of Adeleke’s brief of argument by his lawyer, Kehinde Ogunwumiju , he told the three-man panel of the court headed by Justice Adamu Jauro that what he presented to the electoral body to secure qualification for the governorship election was exactly what the examination body presented before the lower court when it was ordered to do so by Justice Musa.
He added that the results, scores, and content in both certificates were the same, stressing that the only difference was the format in which it was presented.
Ogunwumiju further told the appellate court that Justice Musa erred in law when he ignored the document which he had ordered WAEC to present before the court, with which he arrived at his decision that Senator Adeleke did not possess the requisite academic qualification for the office of governor.
He added that there was no case of non-qualification or forgery against the lawmaker before the lower court.
Also, the PDP in its own appeal through its counsel, Mr Emmanuel Enoidem, urged the appellate court to dismiss the suit for being incompetent and statute barred.
He said the suit was in violation of the Fourth Alteration Act to the 1999 Constitution, having not been filed within the 14 days allowed by law.
According to the PDP’s legal adviser, the suit was filed 44 four days after the cause of action had arisen, while judgment was delivered outside the 180 days prescribed by law for a pre-election matter.
On their part, the two respondents through their counsel, Mr Joel Akomolafe, urged the court to uphold the judgment of the lower court.
Akomolafe argued that the appellants did not appeal the issue of jurisdiction at the lower court.
He informed the court that the trial court had dismissed Senator Adeleke and PDP’s motion challenging jurisdiction, on the grounds thatl it was canvassed late in the trial.
After taking arguments from all parties in the suit, the three-man panel of the appeal court led by Justice Adamu Jauro reserved judgment for a date to be communicated to parties in the matter.
Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to appear in court to respond to a fresh 16-count indictment.
The summons requires Bello to attend court on October 24 for his arraignment, alongside co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The public summons was ordered following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling, Justice Anenih directed the EFCC to publish the summons in a widely circulated newspaper to ensure proper notification.
Also, the court instructed the EFCC to post copies of the public summons at Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous locations within the court premises.
The EFCC has reported difficulties in serving the charges, which were filed on September 24, alleging that Bello and the two co-defendants committed a criminal breach of trust involving a staggering ₦110.4 billion.
A Police Inspector, Mohammed Bulama, attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 41 in Yobe State, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 39-year-old civilian, Abdulmalik Dauda, during a confrontation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The incident, which occurred on September 29, 2024, was sparked by a heated argument between Bulama and Dauda over “uncleared transactions” in the Zango area of Damaturu. The argument escalated, leading Bulama to fatally stab Dauda in the chest.
In a statement, the Yobe State Police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed Bulama’s arrest and announced that an investigation into the homicide case had been launched.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident involving Inspector Mohammed Bulama,” Abdulkarim said.
He further disclosed that the officer has been placed in custody, pending internal disciplinary action and prosecution.
CP Ahmed condemned the actions of the officer, extending his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also assured the public that justice would be served swiftly in accordance with the law.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
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