A National Youth Service Corps member, Helen Bando,
has been jailed for one year for attempting to travel to
India with fake documents.
Convicted and sentenced alongside Helen and equally
jailed for one year each are Samuel Obiakor and Segun
Alimi, who aided and abetted the first convict in
commiting the crime.
Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, while handing down the sentence
on Monday, said the convicts deserved their punishment
notwithstanding their plea bargain because such cases
were becoming rampant.
The judge noted that it was the likes of the convicts, who
usually brings the name of the nation into disrepute and
destroy the chances of other Nigerians with legitimate
intentions to travel out.
The convicts were arraigned on one count bordering on use
of forged documents in processing Indian visa.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related
offences Commission alleged that they conspired to
submit forged documents to the Indian High Commission
sometime in 2013 to enable Bando to obtain the
country’s visa.
The commission’s lawyer, Paul Bassey, told a Lagos
State High in Ikeja that the convicts violated Sections
25(1) (a), 26 (1) (a) and (c) and Section 96(1) (a) of
the ICPC Act.
Following their arraignment last week Friday, the trio had
immediately pleaded guilty to the crime.
They begged court to temper justice with mercy, saying
that they were first time offenders and promised that if
set free, they would go and sin no more.