Ogah’s forgery trial stalled

A Lagos State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Tinubu, Lagos has adjourned further proceedings till October 10, 2016 in the case of the President of Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited, Uche Ogah, who is being prosecuted by the police for alleged forgery.

Ogah, who was declared winner of the last governorship election in Abia State by Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja on June 27, was arraigned by the police on June 16, 2016.

His trial scheduled for Thursday could not proceed as the magistrate hearing the case, Mrs. Kikelomo Ayeye, did not sit.

No reason was given for the magistrate’s absence.

The court registrars, however, adjourned the case till October 10, 2016.

Joined with Ogah in the charge are his company, Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited, United Bank for Africa and Deji Somoye.

The defendants were accused of conspiring with some persons still at large to forge a Memorandum of Understanding between Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited and Mut-Hass Petroleum Limited sometime in March 2011.

Ogah and some other persons still at large were alleged to have forged the signature of one Mrs. Bridget Adeosun.

The charges partly read, “That you, Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited, Uche Ogah, and others at large sometime in March 2011 at Ikeja, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to wit: forgery.

“That you, Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited, Uche Ogah and others at large, on the same date, time, place and in the aforementioned magisterial district, did forge the signature of one Mrs. Bridget Adeosun and a document known as MoU between Mut-Hass Petroleum Limited and Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited, with an intent that it may be in any way used or acted upon as genuine.

“That you, Deji Somoye, United Bank for Africa and others still at large, sometime in August 2011, at UBA regional office, Palmgrove, in the Lagos Magisterial District,  knowing that Masters Energy Oil and Gas Limited designed to commit an offence, failed to use all reasonable means to prevent the commission or the completion of the crime.”

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty after which they were admitted to bail in the sum of N200,000 each with one surety each in like sum.