The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, on Tuesday, arraigned a 44-year-old travel agent, Oluseyi Lamoru, for allegedly forging a West African Examination Council certificate and bank statements of Ecobank and First Bank.

The defendant is being tried at an Ikeja Special Offences Court on an eight-count of possession of fraudulent documents, an offence he denied committing.

The EFFC prosecuting counsel, Mr Spiff Owede, alleged that the defendant committed the offences on 22 August 2017 in Lagos.

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“The defendant, with intent to defraud, forged a WAEC certificate with the name Shonubi Muheeba Olasunbo and purported that the said certificate emanated from WAEC.

“Lamoru, with fraudulent intent, forged five Benue State University, Makurdi certificates which contained false pretenses.

“He also forged an Ecobank statement of account with account number 2852009964 with the name Adewale Anuoluwapo Kudirat and a First Bank statement of account with the name Ajibode Oluwaseun Olusola,” Owede said.

The prosecuting counsel said the offences contravened Section 6 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006 and Section 363(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

Owede urged the court to remand the defendant in prison, to avoid congesting the cells of the anti-graft agency.

“With the non-guilty plea of the defendant, I will ask that he be remanded in prison so that we can commence trial immediately,” he said.

But the defence counsel, Mr Ademola Adewale, requested that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody.

“He should be remanded in the EFCC custody since he has been on administrative bail and he never jumped bail,” Adewale said.

Opposing Adewale’s request, Owede said, “our response is that upon arraignment, the proper custody should be the prison.

“It’s unfortunate that we have no space in the Commission; immediately he stepped out, a new suspect who had to stay behind the counter took his place,” he said.

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In his ruling, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo acceded to Adewale’s request and ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC custody.

The Judge noted that the fact that the defendant never jumped his administrative bail informed her decision that the defendant remain with the EFCC.

Justice Taiwo adjourned the case until Oct. 12 for hearing of the defendant’s bail application.

(NAN)