Corps Member Jailed One Year For Forgery

A National Youth Service Corps member, Helen Bando, has been jailed for one year for attempting to travel to Indian with fake documents.

Convicted and sentenced alongside Helen and equally jailed for one year each are Samuel Obiakor and Segun Alimi, who aided and abetted the first convict in commiting the crime.

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, while handing down the sentence on Monday, said the convicts deserved their punishment notwithstanding their plea bargain because such cases were becoming rampant.

The judge noted that it was the likes of the convicts, who usually brings the name of the nation into disrepute and destroy the chances of other Nigerians with legitimate intentions to travel out.

The convicts were arraigned on one count bordering on use of forged documents in processing Indian visa.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission alleged that they conspired to submit forged documents to the Indian High Commission sometime in 2013 to enable Bando to obtain the country’s visa.

The commission’s lawyer, Paul Bassey, told a Lagos State High in Ikeja that the convicts violated Sections 25(1) (a), 26 (1) (a) and (c) and Section 96(1) (a) of the ICPC Act.

Following their arraignment last week Friday, the trio had immediately pleaded guilty to the crime.

They begged court to temper justice with mercy, saying that they were first time offenders and promised that if set free, they would go and sin no more.