Some 22 police recruits attending training at the Police Training College in Ilorin, were on Friday arraigned before two magistrates’ courts in Ilorin for allegedly using fake documents to gain employment into the Nigeria Police Force.
The accused persons were arraigned on a four-count charge of criminal conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and using as true certificates known to be false, contrary to sections 97, 363,132 163 of the Penal Code.
The prosecutors, Insp. David Wodi and Sgt. Mathew Ologbonsaye, informed the respective courts that the accused were arrested after screening their certificates and discovering that they were all forged.
“The certificate presented by the accused persons ranging from Senior Secondary School (SSCE), National Certificate of Education (NCE) and University degrees are suspected to be fake.”
All the accused persons in a separate plea, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
The prosecutors told the court that investigations into the case were ongoing and urged the court to remand the accused in prison custody, pending the completion of investigations.
Mr Shina Ibiyemi, Director of the Legal Aid Council in Kwara, who stood for the accused persons in the courts, applied for their bail on liberal terms.
He told the court that section 36 (5) of the penal code law still presumed the accused innocent until the contrary was proven, adding that the accused persons would present reliable surety, if bail was granted.
In his ruling, Magistrate Wahab Saka aceeded to the submission of the counsel and granted the 11 accused persons before him bail in the sum of N50, 000 and a surety each.
Magistrate Shuaib Olanikewu on the other hand, also granted bail to the other 11 suspects with similar bail bonds.
Mr. Olanikewu, however, added that the sureties must swear to affidavit of means before the court registrar before the accused could be released.
The magistrates adjourned to April 12 and April 14, respectively for further mention on the cases.
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