…as police fail to take action
The Chartered Institute of Professional Printers of Nigeria, CIPPON has raised an alarm over the circulation of a forged court document falsely claiming a stay of execution in a legal dispute between some members of the Institute and one Niyi Adesoye who parades himself as president and his cohorts.
CIPPON alleged that in spite of clear evidence of forgery by these people and complaints by the Institute, the security agents are yet to take any action to stop the impostors, fueling fears that the Police must have been compromised.
The dispute began when some CIPPON members took legal action against the Niyi Adesoye-led impostors at the Federal High Court in Calabar where the court ruled in favour of the applicants.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, the illegal council attempted to appeal but their request for a stay of execution was not granted. Instead of accepting the court’s decision, they allegedly produced and circulated a fake stay of execution document allegedly obtained from the court across various platforms in the printing industry. The document, on investigation, was found to be fake.
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To verify the authenticity of the document, the Printers’ Institute formally inquired from the court on the genuineness of the document. The court, however, denied issuing such a document, confirming that it was forged.
Seeking justice, the Institute reported the matter to the Police, at Zone 7 Command in Abuja, under AIG Bennett Igweh. Despite making the required payment for an investigation in October 2024, the police claimed not to have received any response from the Federal High Court in Calabar to their enquiry on the matter.
“This is not just a legal matter; it is an attack on the integrity of the judiciary and the printing industry. The circulation of forged court documents undermines trust and sets a dangerous precedent”, President of the Institute, Comrade Babajide Salako stated.
“Forgery is a criminal offense under Nigerian law, especially a legal document and those responsible could face serious penalties if properly prosecuted”, he said.
However, with law enforcement appearing unresponsive, concerns are growing over the ability of institutions to uphold justice in such cases.
The Printers’ Institute, through its President, Comrade Salako, as well as industry stakeholders and legal professionals appealed to relevant authorities to take swift action against those responsible for this forgery, urging the police to fulfill their duty in investigating and prosecuting the perpetrators.
As the matter remains unresolved, the credibility of legal processes in Nigeria faces a test. Will justice prevail, or will impunity allow fraudulent activities to continue unchecked?
