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A former Head of Service in Kogi State, Mrs Sabina Atta, Mr Stephen Yakubu and Mr James Mesole were all in court on Wednesday in a case of forgery preferred against the Chairman of Kogi Elders Forum, Barrister Julius Elukpo.
Atta, Yakubu and Mesole, who are principal witnesses in the case, are all members of Kogi Elders Forum.
Elukpo, a Lokoja-based legal practitioner, is facing one count charge of forgery preferred against him by the police Commissioner.
He was alleged to have used the signatures of three persons to write a petition against the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja in March 2016.
At the resumed hearing in the case on Wednesday, the presiding Chief Magistrate Mr Seidu Hussein granted the plea of the police counsel, Oteme to open trial. The Medical Director of the FMC, Dr Olatunde Alabi was invited to give witness.
Alabi told the court that he suspected that the signatures on the petition were forged through exchange of letters written between the Medical Centre and the three persons –Â Atta, Yakubu and Mesole – whose signatures were allegedly forged.
Alabi said that the trio in their joint reply to his letter denied writing a petition against the management of the centre to the Minister of health.
He said it was on the basis of this that he wrote the state Commissioner of police to investigate the matter.
He tendered the letters in court and they were admitted and marked exhibits A, Band C..
However under cross examination by the defendant’s counsel, Mr Muisdeen Abdullahi, Alabi, admitted lodging a complaint to the police and not the persons whose signatures were forged.
He also admitted that Elukpo did not sign the petition letter written to the Minister of health.
The presiding Chief Magistrate adjourned further hearing in the case till April to allow for the authentication of some documents in Abuja by the counsel to the Kogi State Commissioner of police who is the complainant.
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