A Magistrate’s court sitting in osogbo, Osun State, has sentenced a 44-year-old man, Akeem Yusuf, to one year imprisonment for forging the signature and some other official documents of an Osogbo-based lawyer, Mr. Gbadebo.
Yusuf was said to have forged the signature, letter head paper, seal and official stamp of the lawyer to write a letter to the embassy of the United Kingdom in Nigeria.
The accused person, arraigned on a two-count charge bearing on felony and conspiracy by the police in the state on August 11, had initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea to guilty, when the case was mentioned for hearing on Tuesday.
Police prosecutor, Mr. Lamidi Rasaq, Â told the court that Yusuf committed the offence on March 13, 2017 at the lawyer’s chambers at Kola Balogun area in Osogbo.
Rasaq said the accused person used the stamp and signature to prepare a letter of appeal to UK embassy.
He explained that the offence committed by the accused person contravened Sections 516, and 467, (4) (b) of the Criminal Code cap 34 volume. 11 Laws of Osun state of Nigeria, 2003.
After the prosecution’s presentation of the facts of the case, the presiding Magistrate, Olubukola Awodele, found Yusuf guilty as charged and convicted him.
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The defence counsel, Abimbola Ige, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy in punishing the convict, saying that Yusuf was a first offender.
Ige further adduced that the convict had been of good behaviour in the prison, where he was remanded.
Delivering her ruling, Awodele chastised Yusuf and sentenced him to one year imprisonment, but gave him an option of N10,000 fine.
