Ibadan Customary Court Jails Woman for Forging Marriage Certificate
A Mapo Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Ibadan has convicted and sentenced Bolanle Adeyemo (50) to one year in a correctional centre for unlawful possession and forgery of a marriage certificate.
Delivering judgment, the Court President, Mrs S.M. Akintayo, held that the conviction was based on Adeyemo’s guilty plea and the prosecution’s evidence. Exercising judicial discretion, the court imposed a sentence of one year imprisonment on counts two and three, with an alternative of one month community service. She was discharged on the first count of conspiracy.
The case arose from a divorce petition filed by her husband, Mr Adeboye Adeyemo (55), on March 26. In an attempt to resist dissolution of the marriage, Bolanle tendered a forged marriage certificate before the court. The document was challenged, prompting the court to order a police investigation.
The prosecution, led by Insp. Ayodele Ayeni, reported that the Ibadan North Local Government registry denied issuing any certificate to the couple, confirming the document was fake. The offences were found to contravene Sections 516, 465 and 430 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State 2000.
Upon arraignment, Bolanle admitted to the forgery, leading to her conviction. Justice Akintayo reiterated that the court was bound by the provisions of the criminal code and the evidence before it, stressing that the act of tendering forged documents in judicial proceedings undermines the integrity of the justice system.
