IgbereTV reports that Mr Ugiagbe Dumez, a Hon. member-elect to represent Ovia North East constituency 1 at the Edo State House of Assembly (EDHA), was on Friday arraigned before the State Criminal Court 5 on allegation of forgery and impersonation.
The lawmaker, is one of the remaining twelve lawmakers-elect to be sworn in but said to have committed the offence around 2001. He is 45 years of age.
The suspect was arraigned before Judge Ohimai Ovbiagele-led court on six-count charge bothering on forgery and impersonation.
The lawmaker was, however, not in court to take his plea. According to the charge read by the court, in 2001, at the Benin Criminal Division, Dumez and one other now at large were said to have conspired with themselves to commit felony, to wit: forgery.
He was said to have made a false document of West African Senior School Certificate with No: NGWASSCP 1230734 of December 2001 in the name of Ugiagbe Onaiwu Dumez, with examination No: 5131293070; by altering the original passport on it and superimposing his passport photograph on the certificate.
The suspect was also said to have conspired with the other suspects at large, to commit impersonation.
On count IV, Dumez was said to have falsely represented himself to be the person who wrote the examination and whose photograph is on the certificate No: NGWASSCP 1230734 with candidate No: 5131293070; which is indeed the photograph of another person.
Similarly, Count V says with the intent to defraud, Dumez was said to have falsely represented himself to be the person whose passport photograph appears and wrote the same examination.
The lawmaker was said to have knowingly and unlawfully altered a document with the name of Ugiagbe Onaiwu Dumez.
From the charge sheet, the offences are punishable under sections 21 (a) and 467 of the Criminal Code, Cap 48, vol. II, Laws of the Defunct Bendel State of Nigeria, 1976 as applicable in Edo State.
However, after the charges were read, the state said it was taking over the case which has Commissioner of Police as the complainant.
The State counsel, Mr Peter Ojo, said the decision to take over the matter was in pursuant of section 212 of the constitution.
Ojo who said the suspect had been released on bail after been arrested by the police in Abuja, assured he will make him available to take his plea at the next adjourned date.
The Judge, Obviagele, subsequently adjourned the case to November 1, 2019, for the suspect to take his plea.
