Former Aviation minister dragged to court over certificate forgery…As FG accuses her of playing govt advance fee fraud/419 through salaries & entitlements earlier received

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Pix above: Stella Oduah

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The Nigerian government has filed an eight-count charge against former Minister of Aviation Stella Oduah, at a Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing her of falsely claiming to have lost her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate, among other allegations.

The charges were filed on June 26, 2023, and signed by Ochugwo Ogbeh and Ibrahim Mohammed of the Legal and Prosecution Department of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In the charge, Senator Oduah and one D.A.O Oshinowo (at large) were said to have sometime in 2017 conspired to commit felony to wit: make a document titled ‘Re: Request for National Youth Service Confirmation’.

Oduah was further accused of forwarding her credentials to the Federal Government in 2011, along with an affidavit and extract from police diary that she lost her NYSC certificate, which led to her nomination as a cabinet minister and her election as Senator representing Anambra North Senatorial District.

The prosecution also claimed she obtained an aggregate sum of salaries and allowances as Minister and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the pretence of being qualified.

The offences contravene sections 3(6) of Miscellanenous Offences Act CAP M17; 156 of the Penal Code Act punishable under 158 of the same Act; 1(1)(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and other Related Offences Act, 2006.

Last year, a senatorial aspirant in Anambra, Mr John Emeka, sued Oduah at the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order invalidating her nomination as a Senatorial Candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State.

In the originating summons, Emeka prayed the court to declare that the information supplied by Oduah in her INEC Form CF001, with respect to her participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, was false.

He alleged that the former minister lied under oath in both her expression of interest and nomination forms, including in the INEC Form CF001 which she submitted to the commission for the 2023 Anambra North Senatorial District seat.

The aspirant said she had, under oath, used the same information to participate in the previous elections as the PDP’s candidate for the 2015 and 2019 Anambra North Senatorial District polls.

According to him, the act contravened Sections 12(1)(a)(b)(c) and 13(1)(a) of the NYSC Act.

He further prayed the court to declare that by reason of the false information given in her INEC Form CF 001 in respect of her participation in the NYSC Scheme, she was not qualified to have contested in the said elections and or any other election into the Nigerian Senate.

However, the court, in a judgement delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo on November 22, 2022, dismissed the suit for being status barred.(agency)/SHARE THIS