An All Progressives Congress lawmaker has been arraigned before a court in Edo state for allegedly forging his certificate.
Mr. Ugiagbe Dumez
The Edo State Police Command on Friday arraigned a member of the state House of Assembly, Mr. Ugiagbe Dumez (APC-Ovia North East 1) before the State Criminal Court on allegation of forgery and impersonation, according to a report by Punch.
Dumez, 45, and one other person now at large, were said to have committed the offence sometime in 2001.
The suspect was arraigned before Judge Ohimai Ovbiagele on six counts bordering on forgery and impersonation.
The court in the charge sheet said about the year 2001, at the Benin Criminal Division, Dumez and one other person now at large “conspired with themselves to commit felony, to wit: forgery.”
Dumez was said to have “made a false document of West African Senior School Certificate with No: NGWASSCP 1230734 of December 2001 in the name of Ugiagbe Onaiwu Dumez, with examination No: 5131293070; by altering the original passport on it and superimposing his passport photograph on it.”
The charge also accused Dumez of conspiring with the other suspect, now at large, to commit impersonation.
On count IV, Dumez was said to have falsely represented himself to be the person who wrote the examination and whose photograph is on the certificate No: NGWASSCP 1230734 with candidate No: 5131293070; which is, indeed, the photograph of another person.
Similarly, Count V, with the intent to defraud, Dumez was said to have falsely represented himself to be the person whose passport photograph appears and wrote the same examination.
Finally, on count VI, the lawmaker was said to have knowingly and unlawfully altered a false document with the name of Ugiagbe Onaiwu Dumez.
According to the charge sheet, “The offences are punishable under sections 21 (a) and 467 of the Criminal Code, Cap 48, vol. II, Laws of the Defunct Bendel State of Nigeria, 1976 as applicable in Edo State.”
However, after the charges were read, the state said it was taking over the case, which has Commissioner of Police as the complainant.
The State counsel, Mr. Peter Ojo, said the decision to take over the matter was in pursuant to Section 212 of the Constitution.
Ojo, who said the suspect had been released on bail, having been arrested by the Police in Abuja, assured the court that he would make him available to take his plea at the next adjourned date.
The Judge, Obviagele, subsequently adjourned the case until November 1, 2019 for the suspect to take his plea.