The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arraigned Hauwau Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim, the serving provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical) (FCET), Gusau, alongside Abdullahi Boyi, a lecturer with the Sokoto State College of Education (SSCE) Sokoto on alleged certificate forgery.
Spokesperson of the ICPC, Demola Bakare, said the duo were arraigned on a six-count charge, registered as charge no. SS/213c/2024, before Hon. Justice Muhammad Aliyu Sambo at the Sokoto State High Court.
ICPC accused the two defendants of forging an appointment letter and subsequent use of the same for application for the position of Provost at the Federal College of Education(Technical) Gusau, Zamfara State.
They were also accused of making false statements to the officers of the ICPC 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.
Count one of the charges reads: “That you, Hauwa’u Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim (F) and Abdullah Boyi (M), sometimes in the year 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 1st January 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.”
However, both defendants pleaded ‘not guilty’ to all six charges when the Court’s Registrar read them.
Counsel for the defendants, Dr Muhammad Mansur Aliyu and Mr M.S Diri SAN, respectively, moved for applications for bail on behalf of their clients.
They requested the court consider reasonable bail terms, citing the defendants’ “established positions and cooperation during the investigation.”
Counsel to the ICPC, Mr. Suleiman Ahmad, did not oppose the bail applications.
After considering the applications, Hon. Justice Sambo granted bail under specific conditions 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 one million naira (N1,000,000).
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