Akinwale Akintunde
The Kwara State Polytechnic has accused former Examiner of Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers of Nigeria (CISN), Mr. Christopher Asaju of frustrating alleged certificate forgery case brought against him.
=Asaju is currently standing trial before a Lagos Magistrate Court sitting in Igbosere for allegedly forging a Higher National Diploma (HND) certificate of the polytechnic.
Penultimate Thursday, the Chief Magistrate P.I Bakare read a letter of protest, which the institution addressed to the court lamenting undue delay in Asaju’s prosecution and different ploys the accused person had deployed to frustrate it.
The Kwara Poly alleged that Asaju deliberately cooked up his involvement in an auto crash, in a bid to slow down his trial and thus get the case frustrated.
The polytechnic added that the accused person presented a medical report from a hospital “with no verifiable address”, to justify his claim that he suffered broken neck in a recent road accident.
Asaju has been arraigned since March 2017 for allegedly forging the HND certificate in Computer Science, of the Kwara State Polytechnic.
After his trial began in December 2018, only an examination of Kwara Poly’s witness by the counsel to the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), was conducted, as further trial had been stalled until last week, owing to the claim by the accused person that he had a road accident and suffered broken neck.
While in court last week, however, Asaju appeared in neck bandage and dawdled as he walked. Meanwhile, the Kwara Poly’s letter led to crossfire between counsel to the complainant and that of the defendant.
Asaju’s lawyer, Mrs. Taiwo Obajemu, said she took exception to the description of Bethel Hospital in Lagos that issued her client a medical report as “without verifiable address”, claiming the hospital was well known.
But counsel to the complainant, Mr. Jasper Omomhenle, said the claim of involvement in an auto crash by the accused person must also be matched with inconveniences caused the Kwara Polytechnic that kept spending money to send its witness on each adjournment.
Shortly after, Chief Magistrate Bakare resumed trial, during which the Kwara Poly’s witness, Mr. Abdulateef Lanre-Adi, a principal assistant registrar, was cross-examined by Obajemu.
Lanre-Adi told the court that Asaju only graduated from the polytechnic with a 1993 Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Computer Science, “which he has not claimed till date”, but later forged a 1998 HND certificate in same Computer Science, ascribed to Kwara Poly.
