Court gavel
Magistrate Folashade Oyekan of the Wuse Zone II Magistrates’ Court, on Tuesday ordered that a 37-year-old businessman, Hembe Donald be remanded in a correction centre for allegedly forging a high court affidavit, birth certificate and others.
Oyekan ordered the defendant’s remand after he pleaded not guilty to the four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, forgery, forgery of public seal and causing hurt brought against him by the police.
The police prosecutor, Oyeyemi Adeniyi had earlier told the court that one Danmusa Williams, a staff with the FCT High Court, Abuja, reported the matter at the Wuse Zone III police station on June 8.
Oyeyemi said that Williams went to Abuja shopping mall, Wuse and saw the defendant and others now at large forging high court affidavit, primary school certificates, birth certificates and others.
“The defendant attacked the complainant when he tries to question him while others took to their heels.
“The defendant did not stop there, he also engaged the complaint in a fight and inflicted injury on his hand, ” he said.
The offence, the police said, contravened the provisions of sections 364, 97, 365 and 253 of the Penal Code.
The prosecutor, further, urged the court not to grant the defendant bail to enable police finish its investigation and also arrest those at large.
In his response, counsel to the defendant, Osaze Ebie in an oral bail application asked the court to grant his client bail.
According to Ebie, the law states that before a defendant is brought to court, all investigation related to the case would have been concluded.
He added that keeping his client in police’s custody would further complicate his trial and also applied more charges.
The magistrate ordered the defence counsel to put his application in writing.
She adjourned the case until June 16 for hearing. (NAN)
