A prosecution witness in the trial of Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court has said the judicial officer lied about his actual age and his report to the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) that the diplomatic passport issue him in 2014 was missing.
The witness, Tanko Nuhu Kutana, a Forensic Document Analysis expert with the NIS, said he investigated the case involving Justice Ngwuta after officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) searched his (the judge’s) house and recovered multiple travel passports.
Led in evidence by lead prosecuting lawyer, Mrs. Olufemi Fatunde, Kutana, who was recalled, having earlier testified as prosecution’s 3rd witness, said while Justice Ngwuta claimed 1951, as his birth year, in one of the four diplomatic passports recovered in his house, he claimed 1952 in the others.
The witness also said there was doubt as to Justice Ngwuta’ claim that he lost the diplomatic passport issued him in 2014, because there are evidence that he (the judge) continued to use the passport after he reported it missing and a replacement issued to him.
Kutana said: “My first observation was that the year of birth in the 64-page passport, issued in 2014 (exhibit 13C) had 1951 as the year of birth, while the other three have 1952 as the year of birth.
“After the 2016 passport was issued for the replacement of the one of 2014 which he claimed to have been lost.
“There was evidence that he continued to use the 2014 which he claimed was lost, thereby casting doubt about his claim that the 2014 passport was lost.
“His antecedents of using the passports interchangeably, raise doubt about the claim that he lost the passport.
“When one also look at him filling 1951 as against 1952 that he had used as his birth date, all these raise doubt about everything, including his claim to the lost of the passport,” the witness said.
More Details later.
THE NATION
