Justice Binta Dogonyaro of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Jubrin Buba, an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), after he failed to appear in court despite being granted bail.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had earlier arraigned Buba before Justice Asma’u Akanbi of the FCT High Court, Kubwa, on charges of forgery and providing false statements.
Akanbi had granted the defendant bail, but following her elevation to the Court of Appeal, the case was reassigned to Justice Dogonyaro for a fresh trial.
On Thursday, the ICPC was set to re-arraign Buba on six counts, including allegations that he fraudulently presented a fake Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration, dated October 7, 2009, purportedly issued by the University of Jos, to secure employment with the NSCDC.
The ICPC argued that Buba’s actions violated Section 366 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 364 of the same law.
He was also accused of making false statements to a public officer, contrary to Section 25(1)(a) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
When the case was called, neither Buba, his lawyer, nor his surety appeared in court, with no explanation provided for their absence.
Expressing surprise, ICPC counsel Aniekan Ekong requested the court to issue a bench warrant for Buba’s arrest and to notify his surety to show cause why the bail bond should not be forfeited to the Federal Government.
In her ruling, Justice Dogonyaro granted the ICPC’s request and issued a bench warrant for Buba’s arrest. She also adjourned the case until March 4 for arraignment and hearing.
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