Judge’s Retirement Stalls Ex-FIIRO DG’s Fraud Trial

The trial of a former acting Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Lagos, Chima Igwe, over an alleged certificate fraud, was on Monday stalled, due to the retirement of the trial judge, Justice Sherifat Solebo.

Justice Solebo, of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, Lagos, who has been the trial judge in the matter is said to be retiring by the end of the year.

The court hearing was earlier scheduled for September 12, 13 & 14, 2022.

However, the registrar of the court told our correspondent on Monday that Solebo would be retiring, and the case re-assigned to a new judge.

Igwe was arraigned in November 2021 by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences for alleged certificate forgery.

The defendant is facing three counts bordering on certificate forgery.

The charges read in part, “That you, Chima Igwe, knowingly gave a document with false information with the intent to deceive the principal.

“That you, while being a public officer with the institute, intentionally submitted an attestation letter signifying the completion of PhD Degree programme from the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Republic of Benin.”

The prosecution said the offences contravened sections 17(1)(c), 19 and 25(1)(b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act.

Igwe pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The defendant was appointed the acting DG of the institute on May 13, 2019, and removed in February 2020 after failing to present his PhD certificate more than 18 years after claiming to have bagged the degree.

The 57-year-old received several promotions based on the purported certificate.

He was demoted by the former governing board of the institute led by Alhaji Gwarzo Ibrahim.

However, a new governing board installed by a former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, overruled some of the decisions of the former board and reinstated Igwe as a director.

The matter was adjourned till January 12, 2023, pending re-assignment.