Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Federal Government on Monday slammed a four count charge of examination malpractices on Senator Ademola Adeleke and four others at the Federal High Court, Abuja,.
Those charged alongside Adeleke, in the suit filed in the name of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), include: Sikiru Adeleke, Alhaji Aregbesola Mufutau (Principal of the school), Gbadamosi Thomas Ojo (school Registrar) and Dare Samuel Olutope (teacher).
In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/156/2018, the defendants are accused of fraudulently, through personation, registering as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School, Ojo-Aro, Osun State to enable them sit for the National Examination Council (NECO) examination of June/July 2017.
When the matter was called Monday, Adeleke was not in court to respond to the charges. But his lawyer, Alex Izinyon (SAN), informed the court that his client took ill on Friday and had been stooling.
Izinyon said a copy of medical report was available to that effect. He said Adeleke suddenly took ill at the weekend, but was getting better.
Izinyon accordingly requested that the scheduled arraignment of the defendants be postponed to a latter date.
Counsel to the Prosecution, Simon Lough, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), who did not oppose the postponement, said he was in receipt of the medical report on the health condition of the 1st defendant (Adeleke).
ACP Lough said the defendants were released on the administrative bail granted them by the police.
Lawyers to the other defendants also agreed to a short adjournment, following which Justice I. E. Ekwo adjourned till October 31 for arraignment.
Justice Ekwo said: “The prosecution is ordered to ensure the defendants are in court at the next date, to take their plea.”
In the first count preferred against the defendants, the prosecution alleged that the five defendants “conspired to commit felony, to wit: examination malpractices, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 10 of the Examination Malpractices Act Cap E15 LFN 2004”.
In count 2, the prosecution alleged that the three members of staff of the school acted in concert by aiding and abetting “the commission of examination malpractice by personation” when they allegedly “registered Senator Ademola Adeleke and Sikiru Adeleke” while knowing or having “reasons to believe that they are not students of the school”.
The alleged offence was said to be contrary to Section 9(1) of the Examination Malpractices Act Cap E15 LFN 2004.
In count three, the two Adelekes were accused of acting in concert, and “personated as students of Ojo-Aro Community Grammar School when you fraudulently registered as students of the school in the June/July, 2017 NECO”.
The offence is said to be contrary to Section 3(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act Cap E15 LFN 2004.
The fourth count accused the three members of staff of the school of “acting in concert” and while “saddled with the responsibilities of registering students of your school in the June/July 2017 NECO examination, breached that duty by registering Senator Ademola Adeleke and Sikiru Adeleke as students of your school in the June/July 2017 NECO examination when you know or had reasons to believe that they are not students of the school”.
The fourth count was said to be contrary to Section 10(a) and punishable under Section 3(2) of the Examination Malpractices Act Cap E15 LFN 2004.
