A 44-year-old alleged faked medical doctor,
Mr. Martins Ogwu Okpe, an employee of the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja was on Tuesday arraigned before a Federal High Court on five-count charge of stealing a Bachelor of Medicine degree of the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria to secure and work as a federal government medical worker.
The accused, who was put on trial by the Inspector General of Police was also alleged to have stolen another Bachelor of Surgery degree of the same University and the National Youth Service Corps certificates belonging to his childhood friend Dr. Daniel Davidson George.
Okpe was one time chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), in Abuja and led the federal government delegation of medical experts to Liberia during the last Ebola epidemic in that country.
In the criminal charge preferred against him, the accused person was alleged to have impersonated the said Dr. George by adopting his full names as his own and using his three certificates to secure employment with the federal government. The accused was employed as a Senior Medical Officer in 2006 on Grade Level 12 with federal ministry of health where he was alleged to have been drawing monthly salary and allowances before the long arm of the law caught up with him.
The charge indicated that the alleged fake doctor was apprehended during the verification exercise of professional skills of residence doctors conducted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria where he allegedly presented the certificates in June to secure clearance.
The offence was said to be contrary to section 383 and punishable under section 390 of the Criminal Code law.
If convicted as charged the accused person will be liable to an imprisonment of maximum of three years.
However, when the charge was read to the accused, he pleaded not guilty.
His counsel Mr. Otemu Ogenvo applied for his bail on the condition that the alleged offence was bailable as the accused is presumed innocent until contrary is proved while Mr. Malik Taiwo the prosecution counsel did not oppose the bail application.
Consequently, the court admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N1M and two sureties in the like sum who must be government worker in any ministry, parastatal or agency and must not be less than grade level 12.
By: Tobi Soniyi and Senator Iroegbu
This Day News
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