No Trace Of Diploma Certificate Forgery Linked To Former Deputy Speaker Rt Hon Ibrahim Baba-Hassan- Police Investigator

Yakubu Busari

 

A Police Inspector attached to the department of crime and intelligence at the Plateau State Command, Sunday Baba has confirmed to the election trial tribunal that they didn’t find any evidence linking the former Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon Ibrahim Baba-Hassan to the alleged diploma in Business Administration of the university of Jos.

 

The People Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for the state constituency of Jos North -North, Hon, Barr. Munir Barau approach the tribunal seeking for the tribunal to disqualify Hon Ibrahim Baba-Hassan of the All Progressive Congress, APC, who was declared winner after scoring valid votes cast in the 2019 general polls .

 

According to Plateau state command and Department of crime and intelligence unit of state, they didn’t found any trace of forgery connecting the investigation of  Hon. Baba Hassan, with  culpable of forgery certificate to be victimized or took him before any court of law .

 

He stated that sometime the commissioner and his head of department sent him a letter dated August 05, 2019 Police Inspector, Sunday Baba, told the State and National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting at High Court 6, West of Mines Jos, that Hon. Baba Hassan member representing Jos North/ North state constituency) was thoroughly investigated by the force on forgery allegation but was not found culpable.

 

Baba, who appeared before the tribunal on subpoena was taken as RW 2. The witness told the tribunal that he has been in the police force for 19 years adding that when the force was petitioned on forgery allegation, the petition was endorsed to him in 2015 (when he was still a Sergeant) with the inscription with the inscription ” Sergeant Sunday Baba, Investigate and report ” According to the witness,  after their investigation, it was found out that the Diploma Certificate in Business Administration issued by the University of Jos was not forged by Hon. Baba Hassan who is a 2nd respondent in the matter.

 

“From our investigation, the Diploma Certificate in Business Administration issued to Hon. Baba Hassan by the University of was found to be authentic. Case of forgery was not substantiated therefore, there was no evidence to charge him to court”, said witness.

 

Recalled that last week a witness, Yagwa Shizaor ( a staff with INEC) who was also subpoenaed to testify at the tribunal, told it that Hon. Ibrahim Baba Hassan was qualified to contest the 2019 election into the House of Assembly, Jos North/North state constituency having satisfied all the conditions and requirements spelt out by the commission as prerequisite qualification for the election into that office.

 

” Our Commission found out nothing wrong with the documents submitted by the 2nd respondent ( Ibrahim Baba Hassan) who eventually won the said election by scoring the highest number of votes and was subsequently, declared the winner”, said witness.

 

 

RW 2 said that Hon. Hassan was returned winner because he met all the conditions expected of a candidate contesting for the House of Assembly.

 

 

When the case came up this morning, counsel to Ibrahim Baba Hassan, E. B Ede, tendered 7 documents as follows:

 

1. 19th combined convocation ceremony of the University of Jos and their dates; 1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99 and 1999/2000.

 

2. The University of Jos at 40; Leapfrogging with resourcefulness and Planning.

 

3. The Punch Newspaper of Wednesday 9th March, 2016.

 

4. Leadership Newspaper of Monday 13 June 2016.

 

5. A letter from the University of Jos to the Commissioner of Police plateau state Command Jos, Plateau state dated 25 February, 2016.

 

6. A letter from the university of Jos to the Assistant Commissioner of Police “D” Department (CID), the Nigeria Police, Plateau State Command, Jos Plateau state dated April 12, 2016.

 

7. The ruling of Supreme Court in a case between Abdulsalem Saleh vs Hon. Ibrahim Baba Hassan and others in Appeal number SC. 484/ 2019, delivered on June 13, 2019.

The admittance of the documents was not objected by the 1st and 3rd respondents ( INEC and APC) respectively.

 

However, counsel to the petitioners, I.D Shanding reserved objection to the tendering and admittance of the documents to be articulated in their final address. Consequently, the documents were admitted in evidence and marked as exhibits R9-R15 respectively.

 

Hon. Baba Hassan also testified and taken as RW 3. In his testimony, he identified all the documents tendered by his counsel and went further to identify his name at page 354 of exhibit R2 which is 19th combined convocations ceremony of the university of Jos from 1996 to 2001.

 

Witness also identified exhibits R4 and R5 which are publications in the Punch and Leadership Newspapers of Wednesday March, 2016 and Monday 13 June 2016 by University of Jos exenorating the 2nd respondent from forgery allegation regarding Diploma Certificate from the institution and further affirmed that indeed, the 2nd respondent’s Diploma Certificate in Business Administration was actually issued by the institution after meeting all the conditions for its award.

 

PW2 and PW3 were all cross examined by Kalu Imo, AA Sangei and I D Shanding, counsels for 1st 3rd respondents and the petitioners respectively.

 

 

With the development, all parties have closed their processes and the tribunal adjourned until 2nd September, 2019 for the adoption of final written addresses.