Leadership (Abuja)
27 May 2008
Abuja — For allegedly forging the signature of former military administrator of Lagos State, General Mohammed Buba Marwa and Hajiya Adenike Lawal, the founders of National Support for Yar'Adua/Jonathan Presidency (NSYJP), Mr. Kingsley Obolo has been remanded in Suleja Prisons by a chief magistrates court.
Mr. Obolo was accused by the police of using fraudulent means to obtain millions of naira from Nigerians by forging the signature of Marwa and Lawal.
The accused, who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is also accused of using the forged documents to write fictitious letters to the inspector general of police with intent to defraud and mislead the police.
After pleading guilty to the charges against him in the First Information Report (FIR), Obolo's counsel made an oral application for his bail, but the prosecution objected.
Ruling on the application, chief magistrate Sunday Ochimana, said thatcounsel for the accused did not place enough relevant material before the court for him to exercise his discretionary power on bail, in favour of the accused.
He stressed that the court could not use its discretionary power in vacuum and ordered that the accused be remanded in Suleja prison, until June 17, 2008, when the trial will resume.
In the FIR, the police accused Obolo of "criminal conspiracy, forged documents, criminal intimidation, cheating and breach of trust, contrary to section 97, 364, 366, 397, 322 and 312 of the penal code".
The prosecution claimed that on or about the 18th of October, 2007, two petitions written by one Mrs. Adenike Lawal, the founder of National Support for Yar'Adua and Jonathan presidency and another by General Buba Marwa(rtd), were relieved by the inspector general of police, that you, Kinsley Obolo of no definite address on or about the month of May, 2007, conspired with one Chief Ogbuefun now at large and presented themselves as the founders of the said NGO and forged the signatures of the said Lawal and Marwa and wrote fictitious letters to several individuals with intent to defraud them.
Furthermore, he said police investigations revealed that Obolo conspired with others at large to fraudulently and dishonestly use as genuine these or have reason to believe to be forged ad dishonestly collected the sum of N15,000 to illegally appoint state coordinators from all the states of the federation and another N70,000 to illegally appoint state women leaders.
Obolo, while speaking with journalists claimed that he was a victim of power play over the NGO.
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