A Federal High Court sitting in Gwagwalada, Abuja, has deferred till Thursday, May 16, 2024, the sentencing of a woman, Mrs. Ramat Mercy Mba.
Mrs. Mba was accused of forging the signature of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, the late Abba Kyari.
The sentencing date was fixed after the mother-of-five was found guilty and convicted by the Justice Ibrahim Mohammad. Meanwhile, the presiding judge has directed that the convict be remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.
Mrs. Ramat Mercy Mba was arrested when the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, arraigned her for five counts bordering on cheating and forgery in June 2022.
According to a communication made available to journalists, the Acting Director, Public Enlightenment and Education/Spokesperson for ICPC, Mr. Demola Bakare, the offences are contrary to Section 13 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 200 and Sections 320 (b), 366 of the Penal Code Cap 89 laws of Northern Nigeria.
One of the counts reads: “That you Ramat Mercy Mba (F) sometimes in the month of October, 2019 or thereabout at Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did fraudulently induce one Mr. Ismail Adewole Oladipupo, an unsuspecting job seeker, and collected the sum of Seven Hundred Thousand Naira only (N700,000.00) from him, which sum was paid into your private account under the guise of securing employment for him at the National Space Research and Development Agency, NASDRA, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320(b) and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Cap 89 Laws of Northern Nigeria.”
In the course of the trial, the Commission’s Prosecutor, Mr. Hamza Sani, Esq., led evidence before the court on how the convict dishonestly induced her victims in the guise of securing employment for them with government agencies like Federal Inland Revenue Services, FIRS, NASRDA, and the ICPC.
The documentary evidence tendered before the court showed that the convict fraudulently forged a letterhead paper of the Office of the Chief of Staff to former President Muhammad Buhari, Abba Kyari and his signature.
ICPC stated further that the letter, addressed to the Chairman of ICPC was a request for the recruitment of three individuals by the Commission. However, the late Chief of Staff, in a written correspondence that was also tendered in court as exhibit distanced himself or his office for authorising the letter.
Hence, Justice Muhammad convicted Mrs. Ramat Mercy Mba on counts 1, 2, 3 and 5 which bordered on cheating and forgery while she was discharged on count 4 which deals with felony.
