Mother of Five Convicted for Forging Late Abba Kyari’s Signature

A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Gwagwalada, Abuja, has pronounced Mrs. Ramat Mercy Mba, a mother of five, guilty of forging the signature of the late Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Presiding over the case, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad has postponed the sentencing until Thursday, 16th of May, 2024, ordering Mba’s remand in Suleja Correctional Centre.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had brought forward the charges against Mba in June 2022, alleging five counts including cheating, fraud, and forgery under various legal statutes.

One of the counts detailed Mba’s fraudulent inducement of a job seeker, Mr. Ismail Adewole Oladipupo, to the tune of Seven Hundred Thousand Naira (N700,000), ostensibly for employment placement at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASDRA).

During the trial, ICPC’s Prosecutor, Mr. Hamza Sani, presented evidence revealing Mba’s deceptive practices in promising employment opportunities within government agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), NASRDA, and ICPC.

Crucially, documentary evidence unveiled Mba’s forgery of a letterhead from the Office of the Chief of Staff to President Buhari, bearing Kyari’s forged signature. This falsified document, addressed to the Chairman of ICPC, purportedly requested the recruitment of three individuals by the Commission.

However, evidence presented also included written correspondence from the late Chief of Staff, distancing himself and his office from authorizing such a letter.

Justice Ibrahim Muhammad ultimately convicted Mba on counts related to cheating and forgery, while dismissing one count related to felony.