Brothers bag 72 months for forging court registrar’s signature, stamp

Four brothers are to spend the next 72 months behind bars in Lagos for forging the official stamp and signature of a Lagos High Court registrar.

The men are Abayomi Oluwa, 64; Ismaila Oluwa, 69; Tajudeen Oluwa, 60; and Musa Oluwa, 58.

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court which handed down the verdict, sentenced each of them to 18 months for forgery and eight months for conspiracy.

The Magistrate, Mr A.A. Adesanya, however, did not give the convicts option of fine.

He said:“From the evidences and facts provided before the court, the accused were not truthful in their evidences and testimonies; they are, therefore, found guilty of the offences.

“You are hereby sentenced to 18 months in prison for forgery and eight months jail term for conspiracy each without an option of fine; the sentences should run concurrently.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the men were first arraigned on June 30, 2014 on charges bordering on conspiracy and forgery.

The Oluwas all pleaded not guilty and were granted bail each in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties each.

The prosecutor, Insp.George Nwosu had told the court that the accused committed the offences at the Lagos High Court.

He said the accused conspired to forge the official stamp of the high court and the signature of the court’s principal registrar.

Nwosu said the accused had filed a suit at the Lagos High Court against the complainant, Oba Mukaila of Lagos and Apapa, asking him to step down from the throne.

“The accused had taken the complainant to court to vacate the throne, claiming that the throne does not belong to him.

“The court had, in its ruling, ordered the accused to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the case.

“But the accused went ahead to forge the stamp of the court and also lifted the signature of the principal registrar from the ruling and smuggled it into a public notice.

“They made the publication in punch newspaper that the court had ruled that the Oba (complainant) should cease to be the Oluwa of Lagos and Apapa.

“They also pasted some of the notices at the palace,’’ Nwosu said.

The offences contravened Sections 363 (2), (b) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.