A Federal High Court, Abuja has adjourned a suit filed by the police against Mr. Aliyu Abdulhameed, former Managing Directing, Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) Plc, over alleged document forgery, until June 8.
Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the case after prosecuting counsel, CSP Celestine Odo, sought an adjournment to enable them put their house in order.
When the matter was called, Odo said though the matter was slated for trial commencement, the prosecution was constraint to ask for further date.
Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, counsel for Abdulhameed and his co-defendant, Babangida Abdullahi, did not oppose the application for adjournment.
Justice Ekwo subsequently adjourned the matter until June 8, June 9 and June 10 for trial commencement.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abdulhameed and Abdullahi were arraigned on March 13 on a 10-count charge before the judge but pleaded not guilty to the counts.
They were, however, admitted to terms of administrative bail earlier granted to them by the police.
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NAN reports that the criminal charge, dated and filed Nov. 28, 2023, was marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/555/2023.
In the charge signed by Odo, Legal/Prosecution Counsel of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, the defendants, and others now at large, were alleged to have, about Oct. 23, 2023, conspired among themselves to commit an offence of forgery.
In count two, the defendants, and others now at large, sometime in Oct. 23, 2023, were alleged to have conspired among themselves to commit the offence.
The offences are said to be contrary to Section 3(6) and punishable under Section 1(2){c} of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2010.
NAN reports that former President Muhammadu Buhari had, on Dec. 1, 2022, fired Abdulhammed on allegations of corruption bordering on agric loans.
NIRSAL, a $500m non-bank financial institution, is a creation of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) mandated to manage agribusiness-related credit risks in Nigeria.
