BEVERLY HILLS, June 21, (THEWILL) – Baring last minute changes, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, will today (Tuesday) be arraigned before Justice Yusuf Halilu of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court on charges of criminal conspiracy and forgery of the Senate Standing Rules, 2015.
Also Read: Forgery Case: Court Shifts Saraki, Ekweremadu Arraignment To Monday, June 27
Both presiding officers are being charged along with two others, a former Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa and his deputy, Mr. Benedict Efeturi.
Some officials of the Ministry of Justice, who pleaded anonymity, revealed that they had got notice that the arraignment for the forgery case would take place on Tuesday
The charges were filed through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF. In the affidavit filed on June 10, 2016, the Investigative Police Officer, IPO, swore that the investigation into the case had been concluded.
The charges read: “That you, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about, the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, conspired among yourselves to forge the Senate Standing Order, 2011 (as amended) and you thereby committed the offence of conspiracy, punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code Law.
“That you, Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, on or about the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arms Zone, Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this court, with fraudulent intent, forged the Senate Standing Order 2011 (as amended), causing it to be believed as the genuine Standing Order, 2015 and circulated same for use during the inauguration of the 8th Senate of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria when you knew that the said Order was not made in compliance with the procedure for amendment of the Senate Order. You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Law.”
Maikasuwa was said to be the Clerk of the National Assembly, CNA, when the alleged offence was committed. Some lawmakers, on behalf of the Senate Unity Forum, SUF, petitioned the police, alleging forgery of the Senate Standing Rules 2015 that produced Saraki and his deputy, Ekweremadu, following election of principal officers for the chamber.
The AGF, Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN, therefore, directed the police to investigate the petition resulting in the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department in July 2015, inviting them to answer questions over their roles in the alleged forgery.
