Court proceedings in a criminal case against former senior police officers will commence on Thursday at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Peak Newspaper reports.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has filed a 14-count criminal charge against AIG Idowu Owohunwa and four other retired officers, namely, CP Benneth Igwe (Rtd), CP Ukachi Peter Opara (Rtd), DCP Obo Ukam Obo (Rtd), and ACP Simon A. Lough SAN (Rtd).
The officers are accused of age falsification, forgery, and conspiracy, offences said to have been committed to unlawfully extend their service years beyond the mandatory retirement age.
According to the charge, one of the retired officers allegedly altered his year of birth from 1967 to 1970 to prolong his stay in service.
The charges are brought under relevant provisions of the Penal Code, covering conspiracy, forgery, and making false statements, all punishable under Nigerian law.
The prosecution contends that the acts amount to an attempt to defraud the government and a breach of the Public Service Rules.
The arraignment, initially scheduled for July, was postponed to September 25, to ensure the physical presence of all the defendants in court.
Thursday’s sitting will mark the formal opening of proceedings in the high-profile case.
