Three men have been arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos over alleged conspiracy and forgery of land documents relating to a property in Lafiaji, Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the state.
The defendants are Onyegbule George Ndubuisi, 43; Alhaji Adebayo Abiodun Mobolaji, 37; and Nwankwo Victor Chukwuebuka, 31.
They were arraigned by operatives of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (ForceCID) Annex, Alagbon-Ikoyi, Lagos, before Justice Musa Kakaki.
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired with other suspects still at large to forge documents relating to landed property in Lafiaji.
According to the prosecutor, S. A. Ogala, the allegedly forged documents included receipts purportedly connected to the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family, headed by Oba Tijani Adetunji Akinloye.
The prosecution said the alleged offences contravened Section 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004, and Section 1(1)(c) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
However, the three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following their pleas, Ogala asked the court to fix a date for trial and remand the defendants in a correctional facility pending the determination of the case.
Defence counsel, Olanrewaju Ayanwale, opposed the request for remand, urging the court to release his clients to him. He undertook to ensure that they attended subsequent court proceedings until the case was concluded.
The prosecutor opposed the application, but Justice Kakaki granted the defendants’ release on the condition that their lawyer file an undertaking to produce them in court throughout the trial.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case until January 27, 2027, for trial.
In the charges, the prosecution alleged that the defendants and others still at large conspired to commit forgery and forged documents relating to land in Lafiaji, including receipts purportedly belonging to the Ojomu Chieftaincy Family.
The defendants remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty by the court.
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