Tobias Sylvester
An Abuja Area Court has ordered the Department of State Security (DSS) to investigate the allegation of forgery of a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate leveled against the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
Ewhrudjakpo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was sworn in as deputy governor of Bayelsa when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) pronounced Douye Diri as the elected governor of the state following the Supreme Court judgment disqualifying the former governor-elect, David Lyon of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Before his swearing-in, Ewhrudjakpo, who was in the Senate representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, was dragged before the court in Lugbe, Abuja on the allegation of presenting a forged NYSC Exemption Certificate with code No: 139708 dated Feb. 2, 1998, on his nomination form to INEC.
The plaintiff in the suit, Benjamin Youdiowei, a chieftain of APC in Bayelsa alleged that Ewhrudjakpo was still in possession of the document which he continued to use as part of his credentials.
Following the absence of Ewhrudjakpo in court on November 27, 2019, the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
During the hearing on Wednesday, Youdowei’s lawyer, Seidu Jibrin, noted that the Wuye Police Division, which was earlier asked by the court to carry out further investigation on the matter, had transferred the case to the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit.
Responding, the judge Justice Abubakar Sadiq noted that the police ought to have reported back to the court if the Wuye Division was unable to handle the case before taking the unilateral decision of transferring the case to the IGP monitoring unit.
He terminated his earlier order directing the police to investigate the case and ordered the DSS to take it up.
“We hereby terminate the order of investigation given to the police in respect of this matter and order the DSS to investigate it,” Jutice Sadiq ruled, adding that the DSS could take the matter to any court of their choice after the investigations.
