ICPC arraigns NSCDC official over fake certificate

Anthony Damisa, an officer with the Niger State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, was charged on Wednesday by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission with forgery and making a false statement.
Damisa appeared in court in Maitama, Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, before Justice M. E. Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court 3.
This was disclosed on Thursday in a statement from the ICPC’s spokesperson, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, that our correspondent was able to get.
In a Charge No: CR/348/2022 submitted to the trial court, the ICPC alleges that the accused person attempted to advance in the NSCDC by using a forged Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology and a forged National Diploma Certificate in General Agriculture from the College of Agriculture, Yandev, Benue State.
Additionally, ICPC notified the court that investigational efforts had shown that the certificates the defendant had provided to his employer were not issued by the purported institutions.
In a four-count complaint, the commission also accuses the defendant of lying to ICPC officers while they were performing their official duties.
His offenses violate Section 366 and are punished by both Section 25 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act, 2000 and Section 364 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 89, Laws of the FCT.
Ogugua added that after hearing the charges read to him, the defendant pleaded “not guilty,” and his attorney Ibrahim Alhassan then requested bail on behalf of his client. Ebiye Oglafa, the prosecutor’s attorney, did not object to this request.
The accused was subsequently granted bail in the amount of N2 million with a requirement that the surety be a civil official with a minimum grade level of 10.
His hearing was continued until April 4, 2023, and he was also instructed to submit two passport photos, his international passport, or his driver’s license.