Alleged age falsification: Absence of five ex-police officers stalls arraignment

 

The arraignment of five former senior police officers before a Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama on charges of alleged age falsification failed to hold on Thursday following their absence in court, owing to the inability of the police to effect personal service on them.

Thursday’s development marked the third time the scheduled arraignment before Justice Yusuf Halilu had failed to proceed.

The defendants are: AIG Idowu Owohunwa (Rtd), CP Benneth Igweh (Rtd), CP Ukachi Peter Opara (Rtd), DCP Obo Ukam Obo (Rtd) and ACP Simon A. Lough (Rtd).

They are facing a 14-count filed against them by the Inspector-General of Police.

In the charge marked CR/353/2025, Owohunwa, Igweh, Opara, Obo and Lough are accused of conspiracy, age falsification and forgery, among other offences.

One of the charges alleges that the defendants, who enlisted in the Nigeria Police Force in 1999, conspired to falsify their ages in order to remain in service beyond the mandatory retirement age, in contravention of Section 97(1)(2) of the Penal Code Law.

Another charge states that they falsified and altered their ages and official documents with the intention of illegally prolonging their service, thereby benefiting from office privileges contrary to the Public Service Rules of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, an act said to amount to cheating under Section 324 of the Penal Code Law.