The defendants were convicted of forging the minutes of a meeting of the Registered Trustees of the United Church of Cherubim and Seraphim Organisation.
The Ekiti State High Court in Ado-Ekiti has sentenced a clergyman, Adereti Ebenezer, and a community leader, Akinyede Joseph, to three years imprisonment each after convicting them of forgery, conspiracy and other offences.
The defendants were arraigned before a judge, Lekan Ogunmoye, on 18 October 2021 on four counts of conspiracy, forgery, false sworn declaration and making a document without authority.
According to the charges, Akinyede Joseph (68) and Adereti Ebenezer (63) on 10 January 2016 at Ilado Street, Iwore, Ifaki Ekiti, conspired to forge the minutes of the meeting of the Registered Trustees of a church.
They were said to have falsely declared that they were appointed as members of the Registered Trustees of the United Church of Cherubim and Seraphim Organization, and amended the constitution of the Registered Trustees of the church without lawful authority.
According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene sections 516, 467, 191 and 473 of the Criminal Code Cap C16, Vol.1, Laws of Ekiti State Nigeria, 2012.
In his statement to the police, one of the trustees, Faseyi Albert, said, "I was appointed alongside others as the Board of Trustees of the Church in 2001, the appointment was sent to the Corporate Affairs Commission for ratification.
"After the demise of Primates and Archbishop of the Church, Most Rev. S.A. Fadeyi, the Bishop in-council consequently ratified the appointment of Rt. Rev. Tunde Ogunseemi as the new Primate/Archbishop of the organisation in 2015.
"During the manual search conducted by Corporate Affairs Commission, it was discovered that Rt. Rev. Adereti Ebenezer, who was Archbishop 3 of the church, and Chief Akinyede Joseph had manipulated some documents which indicated that the trustees had a meeting and a decision was taken to remove Most Rev. Tunde Ogunseemi's name. Minutes of the same meeting were forged among others and presented to the Corporate Affairs Commission and I was also alleged to have been present at the meeting. The matter was later reported to the police for investigation and action."
The prosecutor, Gbemiga Adaramola, called five witnesses and tendered a petition made to the Corporate Affairs Commission.
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Other documents tendered were a relief of appointment letter, extracts from the meeting, a letter from the Conference of General Secretaries to the Archbishops, and the statements of the defendants among others.
The defendants, who called four witnesses, spoke in their own defence through their counsel, Ayotunde Ibitoye, who pleaded to the court to temper justice with mercy.
Delivering his judgement on Friday, Mr Ogunmoye said there was overwhelming evidence before the court that the defendants conspired to forge the signatures of the Board of Trustees members and minutes of the meeting of the Registered Trustees of the United Church of Cherubim and Seraphim Organisation.
He said the offence of conspiracy had been proved beyond reasonable doubt against the defendants.
"In all, the sole issue for determination is resolved partly in favour of the prosecutor," he said.
"Consequently, the defendants are sentenced to one-year imprisonment each in counts one, two and four with an option of N20, 000 fine, in each of the counts.
"They are discharged and acquitted in count three (Make false Declaration). The sentences are to run concurrently," the judge ruled."
