NAN-H-93
Forgery
By Thompson Yamput
Jos, Oct 12, 2016 (NAN) A Federal High Court in Jos on Wednesday adjourned a case of alleged certificate forgery against assemblyman Ibrahim Baba-Hassan to Oct. 20 for continuation of hearing.
Baba-Hassan is representing Jos-North Constituency in the Plataeu House of Assembly on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC).
He is accused of falsification of a Diploma certificate in Business Administration (Lower Credit) from University of Jos sometimes in 1996.
The defendant allegedly presented the certificate to INEC when he contested for House of Assembly primaries of the party in February 2015, which he won.
The petitioner, Mr Abdul Saleh, in his statement of claim, is challenging Baba-Hassan’s eligibility to contest the primaries, having allegedly forged the certificate.
Salleh, therefore, urged the court to disqualify Baba-Hassan and compel APC and INEC to declare him winner of the party primaries, having emerged second position.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Mr Monday Danjem, Registrar of the University of Jos, in his testimony, denied that the institution issued any certificate to the defendant because he was never a student of the school.
Danjem told the court that: “the defendant (Ibrahim Baba-Hassan) did not graduate from the university of Jos from our records.
“Therefore, the Diploma Certificate in Business Administration (Lower Credit) of the University of Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria, dated Nov. 25, 1996 did not emanate from the University of Jos, ’’ he said.
Danjem, however, said that Hassan was offered admission in 1993, but he allegedly failed some courses and did not graduate and “could not have been issued with any certificate”.
According to him, “as a result, the university came up with a notice, which was published in page 47 of Vanguard Newspaper of Friday May 27, 2016 to put the general public on Notice.’’
But the the lead Defence Counsel, Mr N.D. Gwaison, pleaded for an adjournment on the excuse of ill health.
The Judge, Justice Musa Kurya, granted the request and adjourned the case to Oct. 20 for continuation of hearing.
“Since the lead defence counsel has complained of ill health, we should not continue so that we do not face a more difficult situation here as the issue of health is paramount to us all, ’’ the judge ruled.(NAN)
TYC/KOO/IA
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Edited Kevin Okunzuwa/Idris Abdulrahman