A contractor, Julius Ejiogu, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for forgery by Justice F. A. Olubanjo of the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State.
Ejiogu was prosecuted by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery, and uttering of false documents.
He was first arraigned on March 23, 2021, where he pleaded not guilty, leading to a full trial.
According to the charge, the defendant and an accomplice identified as Engr. E. Expert (still at large) conspired on August 2, 2013, to forge a document purported to be an official contract award letter from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The forged document allegedly awarded a contract for the construction of the Obudu-Oleri Road in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State.
During the trial, prosecution counsel K.Y. Bello presented four witnesses and tendered documentary evidence, all of which were admitted by the court. The defendant testified in his own defence as the sole witness.
Delivering judgment on January 15, 2026, Justice Olubanjo found Ejiogu guilty on count one but discharged and acquitted him on counts two and three. He was subsequently sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of a N1 million fine.
The court heard that the convict had obtained the forged contract document from an individual identified as Engr. Eshitt and sold it to a petitioner for N2 million. The fraud was uncovered when the petitioner discovered that the contract was fake.
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