Court orders police to produce Edo legislator accused of certificate forgery

A Benin High Court has ordered the police to produce the member-elect representing Ovia North-East I in the Edo state House of Assembly (EDHA), Dumez Onaiwu Ugiagbe in court on November 1 for hearing in a six-count charge certificate forgery made against him.

The case came up at Criminal Court 5, but the defendant failed to appear in court as he was said to in Abuja, even though he is on administrative bail by the police.

Following the absence of the defendant in court to take his plea, Justice Ohimai Ovbiagele, adjourned the case to November 1and ordered the police to produce Dumez in court on the new date.

The police had concluded their investigations on the allegation that the West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Dumez for the 2019 state assembly election had his passport superimposed on it.

WAEC officials had revealed that the passport on the original certificate in their database wasn’t Dumez’s, thereby confirming the suspicion of certificate forgery.

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Recall that Dumez is among the 12 members-elect in the Edo state House of Assembly, who are camped in Abuja and have refused to present themselves for inauguration because of their loyalty to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole even as 12 of their colleagues have been inaugurated and have commenced legislative activities of the 7th assembly.