A former National Examination Council (NECO) staff member, Mrs. Rose Deffi, has been arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on charges of certificate forgery.
The charges stem from a 2020 nationwide certificate verification exercise conducted by NECO, during which Mrs. Deffi and 88 other staff members were found to have used forged certificates to secure their employment.
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Following the verification exercise, NECO’s Governing Board approved the dismissal of all indicted employees and referred their cases to the ICPC and the Nigeria Police Force for prosecution.
ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, informed journalists in Abuja on Tuesday that Mrs. Deffi’s initial trial was scheduled for May 30, 2024, before Justice G.D. Fwomyon of the Plateau State High Court.
However, the trial was postponed due to her absence.
The court then ruled that Mrs. Deffi should be served the charge sheet through substituted means and must be produced in court by her lawyer at the next hearing.
When the case resumed last Friday, Mrs. Deffi pleaded not guilty to all seven counts of forgery.
ICPC counsel, Mr. O.G. Iwuagwu, requested a new trial date, which was not opposed by the defense counsel, Mr. P.M. Lere, who also requested bail for his client.
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Mr. Iwuagwu did not oppose the bail application but requested that the court impose conditions to ensure Mrs. Deffi’s availability for trial.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Fwomyon granted Mrs. Deffi bail in the sum of N2 million, with two sureties in the same amount.
The case was adjourned until September 26, 2024, for the commencement of the trial.
