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Nigeria Drops Case Against Newspaper Reporters Accused Of "Forging" Presidential Seal

Posted: May 3, 2013 - 

Tony Amokeodo and Chibuzor Ukaibe

By SaharaReporters, New York

The Nigerian police yesterday evening withdrew the federal charges against two journalists of the Abuja-based Leadership newspaper. The prosecution team took the step after the lawyer for the journalists, Femi Falana, filed a motion questioning the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case.
Mr. Tony Amokeodo and Chibuzor Ukaibe were charged before a Federal High Court in Abuja with forgery. They were accused of forging a document titled, ”Bromide of The Presidential Directive.”
On April 3, 2013, the newspaper published the document as part of a story on the president’s strategy to cripple the opposition. Men of the Nigerian police stormed the newspaper premises on April 8 and arrested the journalists for questioning.
The 6-count charge includes conspiracy, forgery and publication of a false presidential directive. The journalists were charged under Section  467 of the Criminal Code Act Cap C 38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. They faced over seven years in prison.
In his counter motion, Femi Falana argued that the journalists could not be charged in a Federal High Court for a forgery case.