Police arraign Ekiti monarch-elect over alleged certificate forgery

The zone 17 of the Nigeria Police, Akure, has arraigned the traditional ruler-elect of Araromi-Ekiti, Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti state, Babatunde Adebomi, over alleged certificate forgery.

The monarch-elect was arrested last month following a petition from residents of the community that he allegedly forged certificates of the University of Ibadan and that of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and presented the same to work at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital Ado-Ekiti.

According to the suit marked, FHC/AK/16/2024, he was arraigned on Monday at the Federal High Court Akure, on a two-count charge.

The charge sheet reads inter alia: “That you Babalola Babatunde Adebomi on or about the 15th day of January 2008 at the University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did make and uttered a forged University of Ibadan Result which you knew to be false and with the intent that it may be used or acted upon as genuine by the University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti to offer you a job and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1(2)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

“That you Babalola Babatunde Adebomi on or about the 15th day of January, 2008 at the University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did make and uttered a forged National Youth Service Corps Certificate which you knew to be false and with intent that it may be used or acted upon as genuine by the University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti to offer you a job and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 1[2](c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.”

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Counsel to the defendant, Paul Attah told the court that he had filed an application on notice and prayed the court to give the application a swift hearing.

He prayed the court to release the Oba-Elect on bail, promising that he would not jump bail.

But the prosecuting counsel, Itunu Osobu said he was yet to read the issues raised by the defendant’s lawyer in his reply to the counter-affidavit he filed.

Osobu informed the court that he would be presenting two witnesses to prove the allegations of forgery against the defendants.

The presiding judge, Justice Oluseun Owoeye, in his ruling ordered that the defendant be detained in the facility of the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the zone, while he adjourned the hearing on May 23, 2024.