FG withdraws forgery charges against Leadership journalists

There was a dramatic twist to the forgery case filed against two journalists of Leadership Newspapers at a Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday as the Federal Government filed an application for the withdrawal of the suit.

The development came two days after the government arraigned the newspaper’s Group News Editor, Mr. Tony Amokeodo, and its Political Reporter, Chibuzor Ukaibe, on an amended six counts of forgery.

The Leadership Newspaper itself was arraigned alongside the duo as the third accused in the charge.

They allegedly forged a presidential directive and published same purporting the forged document to be true.

The trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, had shortly after the arraignments of the journalists, granted them bail in the sum of N500,000, with one surety each.

However, the government filed a ‘Notice of withdrawal/discontinuance of charges’, dated April 30, 2013, on Thursday without giving any reason for its decision.

A private lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awolomo (SAN), prosecuting on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation, filed the application to withdraw the suit with charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/167/2013.

The notice read, “Take notice that the complainant, the Attorney-General of the Federation, intends that the criminal proceeding consisting six counts charge against the accused persons, (1) Tony Amokeodo, (2) Chibuzor Ukaibe, (3) Leadership Group Limited, be discontinued and the six counts against them are hereby withdrawn.”

The journalists were initially charged with 10 counts of forgery of a document titled, ‘Bromide of The Presidential Directive’  published in the April 3, 2013 edition of Leadership.

The prosecution on April 24 informed the court that it had filed an amended six counts to replace the earlier one comprising 10 counts.

Their lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), had, at the last sitting, hinted that he would challenge the competence of the charge.

PUNCH