By Rose Onda
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has re-arraigned Okoi Obono-Obla, the suspended chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel (SPIP), on charges of falsification and forgery of school results.
The agency arraigned Obono-Obla before the Plateau state high court for allegedly using forged results to be admitted to study law at the University of Jos (UNIJOS).
Initially, the result falsification and forgery charges were part of the 10-count charge instituted against him by the ICPC at a federal high court in Abuja on July 1, 2020.
But the charges were withdrawn by the commission.
Obono-Obla was later re-arraigned at the FCT high court on July 8, 2020, alongside Aliyu Ibrahim, his senior assistant on special duties (protocol), and one Daniel Omughele, managing director of ABR Global Petroleum Resources Limited, on a 10-count charge bordering on diversion of N19.9 million meant for furnishing the SPIP office.
On March 17, 2021, the charges were amended and Obono-Obla and Ibrahim were re-arraigned on a five-count charge.
The charges relating to result falsification and charges were dropped to be refiled at the Plateau high court in Jos because the offence was committed in the state.
Upon arraignment on Monday, Obono-Obla pleaded not guilty.
He was subsequently granted bail in the sum of N1 million, with one surety.
In the fresh charge, ICPC accused him of forging O’Level results to study law in the 1985/86 academic session in the University of Jos (UNIJOS).