Four officials of Fist Bank Plc., a Notary Public and a receiver manager may be arraigned in Lagos for allegedly conspiring to forge a Deed of Guaranteed purportedly aimed at taking over some companies left by the late Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Chief Arisekola Alao.
The bank’s officials, according to a petition wired to the Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), Abuja by the late Arisekola’s family, allegedly doctored the document with a view to taking over the deceased companies.
The officials—ex-Managing Director, Mr. Bisi Onasanya, Executive Director Corporate, Tokunbo Abiru, Chief Legal, Raymond Mbgeokwere, Head Legal Services, Ropo Okunmuyide, a Notary Public, C. Okorji and a receiver, Kemi Balogun, allegedly conspired to commit ‘forgery and willful falsification of a Deed of Guarantee allegedly signed by Ismail Alao.’
In the petition entitled “urgent request to conduct forensic investigation into a case of forgery, criminal conversion, willful falsification of facts, conspiracy, breach of trust and professional misconduct by bankers and others”, the police at the weekend were said to have concluded their investigation.
The petition was authored by Arisekola’s son, Ismail Alao through his lawyer, Mr. Olaseni Ajayi from Lordwin Gate Legal, following the alleged forgery and willful falsification.
In a document, 7000/x/FHQ/ABJ/Vol 360/17 and signed by CP Femi Oyeleye said there was the need to launch a forensic investigation into the alleged forgery offence initiated against the bank’s officials.
It reads: The Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department directs you to look into this report; ‘urgent request to conduct forensic investigation into a case of forgery, criminal conversion, willful falsification of facts, conspiracy, breach of trust and professional misconduct by bankers and others.’
The police had six months ago commenced forensic investigation into the alleged forgery of the contentious document with a view to allegedly taking over or converting Tank Farm Lister Oil Limited owned by the Arisekola family.
Information has emerged that the police had concluded plans to arrest the bank’s officials and charge them to court following the conclusion of its investigation.
According to the police, the suspected bankers may be charged to court this week in Lagos following the outcome of the forensic investigation over the alleged forgery and willful falsification of the Deed of guarantee purportedly signed by Ismail Alao, son of the late Arisekola-Alao.
Ismaila Arisekola-Alao had in a petition written to the Deputy Inspector General of Police ‘’D’’ entitled “urgent request to conduct forensic investigation into a case of forgery, criminal conversion, willful falsification of facts dated October 15, 2015’’, alleged that his signature and other documents were forged by First Bank officials in order to take over his late father’s companies.
The suspects Mbgeokwere, Okunmuyide, Onasanya and two others may be arraigned over the alleged offence.
Already, the report of police investigation may have confirmed the allegations of forgery against the bank, its officials and the Notary Public which the bank allegedly claimed to have attested to the documents as the suspects who were invited to Abuja had made useful statement to the police.
The investigating team led by CSP Oketunji was said to have discovered the alleged involvement of the bank and its officials in the forged document containing the late Arisekola-Alao’s signature and his son, Ismaila on a Deed of Guarantee of Lister Oil.
Also,the report allegedly revealed that there were fake assets and addresses of some property as contained in the Deed of Guarantee to take over Lister Oil Tank farm belonging to Arisekola under a purported N10billion debt.
The report of the investigation which was released in March had been forwarded to the office of Department of Public Prosecution for legal advice and possible prosecution of the alleged suspects.
“Our client has been put in a state of distress and psychological trauma following this conspiracy and forgery of his signature as other documents might have been forged in his name and other stories might have been cooked up in other places by these same group of persons and corporate establishment working in tandem, all in a bid to criminally convert the Tank Farm Lister Oil Limited to their own through forgery of documents,” said Arisekola’s lawyer.