4th October, 2010
A former staff of Yaba Local Council Development Area, Adekunle Yaba, Lagos State, Taiwo Lambo, 56, and two others who allegedly specialise in processing fake marriage/birthday certificates and council receipts for members of the public have been caught by some staff of the Yaba Local Council Development Area.
They trio were caught with the fake documents inside an abandoned vehicle in the premises of the local government secretariat.
After preliminary investigations by the council officials, the suspects were handed over to the police at Adekunle Police Division from where they were arraigned at the Ebute-Meta Magistrate’s Court on a three-count charge to commit felony, to wit forgery, an offence punishable under section 516 (1) and 467 (3B) of the criminal code cap C 17, Vol.11 laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.
The other members of the syndicate are Jonah Akpan who contracted Taiwo Lambo to process fake birthday certificate for his daughter to save costs and Rafiu Adebayo.
Counts 2 & 3 read that: “you, Taiwo Lambo, Jonah Akpan and Rafiu Adebayo on the same date, time and place in the aforesaid magistraterial district did forge different documents and unlawfully have in your possession 17 different types of rubber stamps meant for various departments in the Yaba Local Government Council suspected to have been stolen which you cannot give a satisfactory account of how you came by same.
The defendants pleaded not guilty and the magistrate, Mr. T.Abolarinwa, granted them bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties each in the like sum.
The magistrate also directed that the sureties must be blood relations, produce tax clearance, on level 08 in the civil service or property owner with affidavits.
The suspects were ordered remanded at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Apapa, when they could not perfect their bail condition. The matter was adjourned till 3 November, 2010.
—Paul Iyoghojie