The serving Provost of the Federal College of Education (Technical) Gusau, Dr. Hauwau Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim, appeared before Justice Muhammad Aliyu Sambo of the Sokoto State High Court on Monday alongside a lecturer from Sokoto State College of Education, Abdullahi Boyi. The pair face allegations of certificate forgery that was crucial to Dr. Abdulkarim’s appointment as provost.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) brought six charges against the defendants, including the alleged forgery of an appointment letter for the position of Chief Lecturer and subsequent use of same for application for the position of Provost at the Federal College of Education(Technical) Gusau, Zamfara State.
The Commission claims the defendants also made false statements during the investigation, an offence under Section 25(1) (a) and punishable under Section 25 (ii) (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you Hauwa’u Gimbiya Mukhtar Abdulkarim (F) and Abdullah Boyi (M) sometimes in the year 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 1st January 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.”
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Their legal representatives, Dr. Muhammad Mansur Aliyu and Mr. M.S Diri SAN, 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.”
Counsel to the ICPC, Mr. Suleiman Ahmad did not oppose the bail applications.
After considering the applications, Justice Sambo granted bail under specific conditions to ensure the defendants’ continued presence throughout the trial proceedings. The bail included a bond of one million naira each.
Justice Sambo has scheduled the trial to begin on November 21, 2024, where the ICPC is expected to present evidence supporting their allegations of document forgery and deception.
Follow the AkweyaTV channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7m7dvJuyA7h5XMc22i
