School Proprietor Sentence To 5 year Jail For Impersonation And Forgery

we here by inform the general public that The National Universities Commission {NUC} has just recorded a major feat in her fight against illegal universities as Mr. Francis John Agbo, the proprietor of an illegal Middle Belt University and North Central University who has also claimed to be the Director of Research and Innovation of the Commission, was convicted on a two-count charge of impersonation and forgery and sentenced to five and a half years in prison, and what's really beautiful was that the court sentence him without an option of fine, the judge, Honourable Ali Tari Changbo of the Upper Area Court, Keffi, Nasarawa State.
The fake academic, claimed that he is a senior academic staff of the Nasarawa State University, Lafia, which he has been using for years to defraud unsuspecting admission-seeking students of the public.
The evidence which was tendered before the court by the Prosecuting Counsel, Mr. Aaron Zamani, who is a legal officer in the National Universities Commission, also included fake admission letters, which this man has printed and fliers advertising the Nasarawa State University, Lafia, the convict went further to print out testimonies of witnesses, some of them victims, the accused claim of being the co-ordinator of the University Nyanya Study Centre, as hundreds of tellers of Unity Bank as well as Aso Savings and Loans, Oturkpo, which bore his name and that of his wife.
During the proceedings, a total of 12 exhibits were tendered and admitted by the trial court before the judge. The accused had earlier jumped bail which was granted to him during similar trials on related charges in an Abuja High Court and Chief Magistrate Court, Oturkpo, following which bench warrants were issued against him. The Convict had been at large until his recent arrest for the current trial which had graciously open up his well of fraudulent activities.
In his judgement, the Presiding Magistrate of the court where the convict is, said that the evidence was glaring, especially those of the victims including Peter Blessing, among others, who met the accused at different locations like Nyanya Primary School, as Mr. Agbo had no known permanent residing area.
Mr Agbo, the Convict had also failed to tender receipts to the victims for payments which were made to him which ranged from N8, 500 to N45,000 for admission forms and school fees. The evidence against Mr Agbo also revealed that more than N100,000 was extorted from four victims who testified against him before the court and Judge.
Delivering the judgment, the Magistrate Of The Court, Changbo said, from the evidence before it, the Management of the Nasarawa State University neither had any relationship with the culprit nor any satellite campus in Nyanya Primary School as alleged by the accused.
The Magistrate also ruled that the evidence also showed that the culprit deliberately forged the admission letters and purported to be a senior staff of Nassawara university, which had helped him to extort money from members of the public without offering them admission.
The Magistrate pointed out that the action of the culprit evidently occasioned emotional, psychological and economic hardship to the victims, who were mostly poor victims and from poor backgrounds.
The Law court also found out that the accused as having contravened Sections 179, 324 and 364 of the Penal Code and thereby pronounced Mr. Francis Agbo guilty of forgery and cheating by impersonation. The Magistration sentenced Mr Agbo to three years in prison for Forgery and two years for cheating, which bring the total sentence to five years without an option of fine.
why should they even fine him? He'll still use the Students Money to bail out himself. The Magistration also ruled that the convict pay back the money dubiously collected from the victims or else spend an additional six months in prison. The five-year sentence would run concurrently with effect from 23 February, 2012, when the convict was first arraigned. Reacting to the judgment, the Deputy Director, Legal, National Universities Commission, Mr. Moses Awe, described the judgment as a victory for the National Universities Commission, as it will serve as a lesson to other proprietors of illegal outfits who are in the habit of defrauding the public of their hard earn money.
He called on members of the public to always cooperate with the Commission in reporting any illegal outfit and advised prospective candidates to visit the National Universities Commission official portal for the list of approved universities and every thing they're suppose to know regarding the university of their choice.
Mr. Zamani, who expressed satisfaction with the ruling, said the convict was really notorious fraudster, who had feasted on the innocence of the public and deserved the sentence. The Counsel to the Nasarawa State University, Lafia, Mr Danjuma Shigaba, said the University was also satisfied with the ruling as it underscored the efficacy of the judiciary.
It will be recalled that the convict, Mr. Agbo, who hails from Ugbokolo Community of Benue State, had, in 2009, forged the letter head and identity card of NUC, for the running of the illegal Middle Belt and North Central University, Oturkpo, Benue State and was arrested and prosecuted by the National Universities Commission at the Chief Magistrate Court, Oturkpo, Benue State, between 2008 and 2009 for his action. Mr Agbo was also involved and prosecuted by the EFCC at the Abuja High Court.
However, an Upper Area Court in Keffi, Nasarawa State, had on Wednesday, sentenced John Francis, to five and half years imprisonment for impersonation, forgery and cheating. The judge, Ali Changbo, sentenced Francis to three years for forgery, two years for cheating and impersonation and six months for cheating. The Judge, Ali Changbo, who ordered that the prison term was with effect from February, 23rd, 2012, said the convict had 30 days to appeal. The Judge also ordered the convict to pay compensation to each of the victims as contained in the charges against him. Prosecutor Philemon Yusuf told the court that Habila Otoso, attached to Nasarawa State University, reported the case on February 21st 2012.
Yusuf said that the convict had impersonated as a staff of the NASARAWA STATE UNIVERSITY,which is located in Keffi and he had sold fake admission forms and issued admission letters to prospective students. He added that the offence was contrary to Sections 179, 364 and 324 of the Penal Code.
The counsel to the National Universities Commission, Mr Aaron Zamani, told the court that the convict also claimed to be a Director of Research in the National Universiges Commission. He went further to explain that Francis operated an illegal institution called, Middle Belt University in Otupko, Mr Zamani added that the the fake Proprietor had jumped bail in previous cases at the Chief Magistrate Court, Otukpo and Gudu High Court in Abuja for similar offences.