ICPC Arraigns Man For Forging Travel Documents

A middle-aged man, Emmanuel Iladion, has been arraigned by the
Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission
over the alleged forgery of travel documents.

The commission, in a five-count charge brought before Justice
M.B. Idris of the Federal Capital Territory High Court 26 in
Nyanya, Abuja, said the accused conspired with one Odinaka
Obikwelu, a worker at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who
is now deceased, to dishonestly obtain a passport from the Nigeria
Immigration Service.

A spokesperson for the ICPC, Azuka Ogugua, said these in a
statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.

Iladion was said to have taken advantage of the frosty
relationship between the late Odinaka and her husband, Chucks, to
impersonate the latter and signed a letter titled, ‘Consent for
Issuance of Nigeria Standard Passports to Our Children.’

The statement read, “ICPC in a charge no: CR/085/2021 averred
that Mr Emmanuel Iladion, with the intention to mislead the Federal
Government of Nigeria, knowingly gave a false statement to the
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service in the
E-Official Diplomatic Passport Data Form.

“The defendant was also accused of assuming the personality of
Mr Chuks Winston Obikwelu when he signed the Consent Form for
Issuance of Nigeria Standard Passports as the father of Obikwelu
Enyiazu Theresa, Obikwelu Emmanuela Chimdindu, Obikwelu Joan
Onyekachi, and Obikwelu Michael Elijah, in the name of Obikwelu
Emmanuel Winston, when he knew he was not the father of the
above-mentioned children.

“Trouble began to brew for him when the biological father of the
children petitioned the commission on Iladion’s fraudulent acts.
The accused person’s actions are contrary to sections 26 (1) (c)
and 25 (1) (a) and punishable under sections (17) (c) and (25) (b)
of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, and
Section 179 of the Penal Code Cap. 532 Laws of FCT, Abuja.

“When the accused person was asked to take his plea, he entered
a ‘not guilty’ plea. Owing to the failure of the defence counsel to
file an application for his client’s bail, the trial judge ruled
that the accused be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Service
Centre pending a formal bail application.”

The case was adjourned till July 5, 2021 for commencement of
trial.

A middle-aged man, Emmanuel Iladion, has been arraigned by the
Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission
over the alleged forgery of travel documents.

The commission, in a five-count charge brought before Justice
M.B. Idris of the Federal Capital Territory High Court 26 in
Nyanya, Abuja, said the accused conspired with one Odinaka
Obikwelu, a worker at the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who
is now deceased, to dishonestly obtain a passport from the Nigeria
Immigration Service.

A spokesperson for the ICPC, Azuka Ogugua, said these in a
statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday.

Iladion was said to have taken advantage of the frosty
relationship between the late Odinaka and her husband, Chucks, to
impersonate the latter and signed a letter titled, ‘Consent for
Issuance of Nigeria Standard Passports to Our Children.’

The statement read, “ICPC in a charge no: CR/085/2021 averred
that Mr Emmanuel Iladion, with the intention to mislead the Federal
Government of Nigeria, knowingly gave a false statement to the
Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service in the
E-Official Diplomatic Passport Data Form.

“The defendant was also accused of assuming the personality of
Mr Chuks Winston Obikwelu when he signed the Consent Form for
Issuance of Nigeria Standard Passports as the father of Obikwelu
Enyiazu Theresa, Obikwelu Emmanuela Chimdindu, Obikwelu Joan
Onyekachi, and Obikwelu Michael Elijah, in the name of Obikwelu
Emmanuel Winston, when he knew he was not the father of the
above-mentioned children.

“Trouble began to brew for him when the biological father of the
children petitioned the commission on Iladion’s fraudulent acts.
The accused person’s actions are contrary to sections 26 (1) (c)
and 25 (1) (a) and punishable under sections (17) (c) and (25) (b)
of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, and
Section 179 of the Penal Code Cap. 532 Laws of FCT, Abuja.

“When the accused person was asked to take his plea, he entered
a ‘not guilty’ plea. Owing to the failure of the defence counsel to
file an application for his client’s bail, the trial judge ruled
that the accused be remanded in the Kuje Correctional Service
Centre pending a formal bail application.”

The case was adjourned till July 5, 2021 for commencement of
trial.