By Joe Udo
ABUJA (CONVERSEER) – A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court sitting in Apo has ordered the remand of a Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officer, Jibrin Buba, over allegations of certificate forgery and false declaration.
The presiding judge, Justice Binta Dogonyaro, on Monday ordered that Buba be held in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Kuje until 28 October 2025, pending further proceedings.
Buba is facing trial on charges brought against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), accusing him of forging a Bachelor of Science (BSc) certificate in Public Administration, which he claimed was issued by the University of Jos on 7 October 2009.
According to a statement released by the ICPC on its official website, the forged document was allegedly used by Buba in February 2015 to secure employment with the NSCDC. The act, the Commission said, violates Section 366 of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 364.
The embattled officer was first arraigned in 2022 before Justice Asma’u Akanbi at the FCT High Court in Kubwa, where he was granted bail on liberal terms.
However, the trial was delayed following Justice Akanbi’s elevation to the Court of Appeal, necessitating a fresh trial (de novo) before Justice Dogonyaro.
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Despite multiple court summonses, Buba failed to appear for arraignment on several occasions — including a scheduled hearing on 22 January 2025 — prompting the court to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
He was eventually apprehended and arraigned on 26 June 2025.
The court’s ruling to remand Buba follows his failure to offer any reasonable explanation for his repeated absences, which the court deemed as a deliberate attempt to obstruct justice.
The ICPC said the trial will continue as scheduled, stressing its commitment to ensuring that public officers found guilty of corruption and forgery face the full weight of the law.
