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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has arraigned the serving Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Zamfara State, Hauwau Abdulkarim, alongside a lecturer with the Sokoto State College of Education, Abdullahi Boyi, over alleged certificate forgery.
The ICPC accused the two defendants of forging an appointment letter and subsequent use of the same for application for the position of the Provost at the college.
They were also accused of making false statements to ICPC officials 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.
A statement released on Sunday by the commission’s spokesperson, Demola Bakare, noted that the defendants pleaded not guilty to the six charges preferred against them.
Count one of the charges read, “That you Hauwa’u Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim (f) and Abdullah Boyi (m) sometime in 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 January 1, 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.”
Bakare said the defendants’ counsels, Dr Muhammad Aliyu and Mr M.S. Diri, respectively, moved for applications for bail on behalf of their clients.
“They requested the court to consider reasonable terms for bail citing the defendants’ established positions and cooperation during the investigation,” adding that the ICPC’s counsel, Mr Suleiman Ahmad, did not oppose the bail applications.
He said the trial judge, Justice Muhammad Sambo, after considering the applications, granted bail under specific conditions designed 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 N1,000,000.
“Following the granting of bail, the ICPC prosecutor requested a date for trial to commence, emphasising the commission’s preparedness to present witnesses and evidence in support of the charges.
“Justice Sambo adjourned the matter to November 21, 2024, when the hearing is set to begin,” he said.