By Bartholomew Madukwe

The Controller of Federal Operations Unit, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Zone ‘A’, Comptroller Mohammed Umar, has commended the judiciary on the sentencing of six persons charged for counterfeiting NCS allocation paper and official seal of the Comptroller-General of Customs.

Umar said cases involving other suspects apprehended in connection with other offences were ongoing at the Federal High Court.

The accused persons, Abiodun Ojo, Uche Nwamaka Mike, Charles Ali, Abutu Emmanuel, Sunday Nwaeze and Ngozi Ibeh, were arraigned by NCS on a five-count charge of conspiracy, forgery and counterfeiting.

It would be recalled that on June 29 Justice Kurya Musa of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos State, sentenced the accused persons to 10 years imprisonment, after finding them guilty of the charge.

According to the charge, the convicts counterfeited the seal of the Officer-in-Charge of Valuation, Nigeria Customs Service, Idiroko, Ogun State Command, and the official seal of Valuation Seat, Apapa Port in Apapa Command.

The prosecution had informed the court that the alleged offence was contrary to the provisions of section 162 (a) and (d) of Nigeria Customs and Excise Management Act Cap C45 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004.