A Wuse Zone 2 Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, has fixed July 23 for the arraignment of two top officials of the Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA) for alleged forgery and falsification of documents.

Magistrate Mabel Segun-Bello fixed the date following the suspension of the 64-day strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

The April 26 arraignment stalled due to the strike. The court had, on March 16, gave the FCT police commissioner three weeks to produce two OGFZA employees (Wasiu Sule, head of legal services and secretary to OGFZA’s board, and Alenju Ngofa, human resource head), for arraignment.

The court gave the order after counsel to the nominal complainant Nkereuwem Akpan informed the court that the accused persons evaded service of court processes despite several attempts.

The complainant is Olufunmilayo David Omosule. The first and second defendants are Messrs Sule and Ngofa, respectively. The magistrate also gave the police commissioner the go-ahead to investigate the defendants on allegations levelled against them.

OGFZA and Mr Omosule are locked in a legal battle over the legality or otherwise of the plaintiff’s suspension, following his petition against some agency’s management staff on alleged corruption.

Mr Omosule alleged that the defendants willfully and maliciously distorted his records “to appear as though he does not possess any requisite qualification to be employed at OGFZA or any qualification at all to be considered for promotion,” accusing them of forgery.

The agency had, via a letter dated April 18, 2011, suspended Mr Omosule as the manager of its Abuja office on the ground that he refused to comply with its letter dated December 3, 2010, which directed him to present the originals of his credentials for verification.

Mr Omosule, however, refuted the claim of the authority, stating that he made available to the organisation, Certified True Copies (CTCs) of his educational certificates /credentials, including GCE ‘O Level certificates and degree certificates as instructed.

Mr Omosule said the CTCs of his certificates submitted to the agency were certified by the issuing institutions, including the West African Examination Council and the University of Ado-Ekiti, then Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti.

Therefore, he is seeking the court‘s declaration that he was still a staff of the organisation and entitled to all the rights, privileges, and benefits due to him by reason of his employment.

He is praying the court for an order directing the defendant to reinstate him to the position of a director on grade level 17.

Mr Omosule is also seeking the order of the court to direct the agency to pay all his outstanding salaries, benefits, and entitlement since 2011.

In addition, he is asking the court to order the organisation to pay him N50 million as exemplary and general damages.