A Plateau State High Court has granted bail to a former staff of the National Examination Council (NECO), Mrs Rose Deffi, who was dismissed over allegations of certificate forgery.
Justice G.D. Fwomyon granted Deffi bail of N2 million with two sureties in like sum, after she pleaded not guilty to all the seven-count forgery charges brought against her by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Her arraignment was first scheduled for May 30, but could not go ahead due to her absence.
The court ruled that Deffi should be served the charge sheet through substituted means and be produced in court by her lawyer at the next hearing.
But Deffi, who was present in the court at the last proceeding, pleaded not guilty to all seven-count charges of forgery against her.In light of her plea, the ICPC counsel Mr O.G. Iwuagwu, requested for a trial date, while the defendant’s counsel, Mr P.M. Lere, who did not oppose the application, asked the court to consider her bail application.
The ICPC counsel did not oppose the bail application but requested conditions that would ensure her availability for trial. After listening to the arguments of both parties, Justice Fwomyon granted Mrs Deffi bail and adjourned till September 26, for trial.
Recall that in 2020, NECO conducted a nationwide certificate verification exercise, resulting in 89 staff members being indicted for using fake certificates.
The Council’s Governing Board subsequently approved their dismissals and referred their cases to the ICPC and the Nigerian Police for prosecution.
