A committee constituted by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to probe allegations of forgery and fraud in relation to a judgment obtained by Dr Obinna Uzor which purported to sack Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, has recommended disciplinary measures against court’s officials found wanting.

The committee, in its report, recommended among others, the dismissal of three court officials and demotion of other for their various roles in the alleged forgery of court documents.

Uzor was alleged to have used fake and forged documents, and in connivance with the identified court’s staff, to obtain the judgment given by court number 25 in Kubwa, with which he had sought  to unseat Ubah as the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District.

Those recommended for dismissal are: Kingsley Okoroh Ebibrah, a Registrar; Micheal Enuenwosu, an Assistant Executive Officer and Maku Felix, a Senior Executive Officer.

The committee, in its report, dated June 1, 2020, a certified true copy (CTC) of which The Nation sighted in Abuja on Wednesday, found that the court officials connived with Uzor and his lawyers to perpetrate fraud and forgery of documents of the court.

Part of the report, signed by the committee’s Chairman, Madugu Mohammed Alhaji and Secretary Aminu Nash Audu, reads: “The committee, after investigation and careful study of evidence adduced and all the exhibits tendered, discovered that the entire suit contracted in CV/3044/18 was a fraud and does not exist in the record of the FCT High Court.

“The purported suit was not assigned by the Chief Judge and not found on any court register except the mutilated register in the process unit. The Chief Judge’s signature was forged and dates on the receipt of payment, processes were all altered to October 2018 to make the purported suit filed on September 25th 2029 look like a pre-election matter.”

The committee said it discovered that, out of the six receipts cross-checked by the Head of Revenue, four were not allocated to the FCT High Court.

The committee found Kingsley Okoroh Ebibrah, a Registrar, allegedly involved in the alteration of the date on the suit, guilty of gross misconduct, which is inimical to the service, and recommended him for dismissal from the service of the FCT High Court.

Micheal Enuenwosu an Assistant Executive Officer was found guilty of gross misconduct and was recommended for dismissal from service, while Maku Felix, a Senior Executive Officer was also found guilty of gross misconduct and recommended for dismissal from service and Ibrahim Yau, an Assistant Chief on Grade Level 14 was demoted and relieved of his appointment as Commissioner Of oaths.

Abiodun Kolawole, a Chief Clerical officer was also recommended for demotion in rank, Iraq Umar a Principal Registrar 11 was also recommended for demotion in rank, While Shaibu Alhassan an Appeal Unit Staff was exonerated of all the charges against him.

The court constituted the committee in March this year following a petition by Ubah to the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, alleging among others, that the staff altered, mutilated and back-dated processes of an unassigned suit to cause damage to him.

Ubah claimed that, due to the manipulation by the court’s officials, gross and unprecedented injustice was done to him, leading to his being denied the right to defend himself during the hearing of the case.

Upon an appeal by Ubah, the Court of Appeal, Abuja division later set aside the disputed judgment on the grounds that the High Court of the FCT lacked the jurisdiction to have heard the case relating to a dispute over a senatorial election in Anambra State.