Justice Saliu Saidu of a Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the remand of an Indian and two Nigerians for allegedly forging Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) receipts.
Justice Saidu made the order Wednesday after the Indian, Omkar Shinde and his Nigerian accomplices, Chucks Okeke and Shittu Adedeji, were arraigned alongside a firm, Everchem Paints Nigeria Limited, by the Federal Government on a 3-count charge of forgery.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge. Afterwards, defence lawyers, E.O Pobeni (for the first defendant), Tiwalade Aderoju (for the second and fourth defendants) and I. C. Ituma (for third defendant) drew the court’s attention to their clients’ bail application.
Justice Saidu while adjourning the matter to March 4 for the hearing of the bail applications ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Services.
Prosecution lawyer, Olofindare Adeleke, had earlier told the court that Okeke and Shinde and Everchem Paints, forged 15 SON receipts on February 12, 2020 at Close 6, House 4 Satellite Town, Lagos, and at 110/114 Oshodi Apapa Expressway, Isolo.
He said the defendants committed the alleged offence “with Intent to use the false documents as genuine”.
Okeke and Shinde were said to have forged receipts numbered: TCI/S621 dated 17/10/2016; TCI/5523 (16/11/2016), TC1/5524 (16/11/2016), TCI/1008 (12/04/2018), TCI/1366 (21/06/2018), TCI/268 (22/02/2018), TCI/1161 (10/05/2018), TCI/ 1008 (04/04/2018) and TCI/SS40 (13/01/2017).
Others are TCI/348 (12/03/2018), TCI/50127 (22/11/2017), TCI/4381 (30/11/2017), TCI/50128 (22/11/2017), TCI/57542 (28/06/2017) and TCI 50128 (22/ 11/2017).
The prosecution said it was with the “intention of causing the forged documents to be believed to have been issued by SON and use same as genuine.”
It was further alleged that Adedeji, on February 12 at 2, Morebise Egan, Igando, “did present false documents to SON officials, which you knew or have reason to know same to be false with intent to use the false documents as genuine”.
The offence contravened Section 465 of the Criminal Code Act CAP C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and is punishable under Sections 467 and 516 of same law.