A 72-year-old lawyer, Mr. Fasomo Falola, was on Tuesday dragged before an Oyo State Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Ibadan for the forgery of a will belonging to a late lecturer who worked with the University of Ibadan, Prof. Lateef Amusa.
Amusa retired from the UI in 1995 after serving as the acting head, Department of Physical and Health Education (now Human Kinetic and Health Education) between 1987 and 1989.
He also served as a coach at the UI Sports Council, athlete trainer, and fitness instructor among other positions he held before his retirement.
Before his death, Prof. Amusa also worked at the Biokinetics Recreation and Sports Science, University of Venda, South Africa.
Also arraigned with Falola were the wife of the deceased, Mrs. Olubunmi Amusa, 71; secretary of Falola’s law firm, Mrs. Olubunmi Akangbe, 41.
Others are Prof. Adedoyin Soyibo, 70; and Dr. Junaid Olaniyi Ogundiran, 70, who were friends of the deceased and who reportedly served as witnesses to the forged will.
The police prosecuting officer, James Oriola, preferred a three-count charge against the suspects and others still at large.
One of the charges read that the accused persons on March 19, 2015 at about 9am conspired to commit felony to wit forgery and altering and thereby committed an offence.
The suspects were also accused of forging the signature on the will of the late Prof. Amusa and fraudulently altering the late professor’s will on January 5, 2017 at the Oyo State High Court, Moshood Abiola Way, Ibadan, and thereby committed punishable offences.
The arraigned suspects pleaded not guilty to all the charges, while the counsel to the veteran lawyer, Mr. Babatunde Ajijola, prayed the court to grant bail to his client on self recognition as a senior member of the bar.
The chief magistrate, Mr. Taiwo Oladiran, granted the prayer; while the four other suspects were also granted bail but in the sum of N50,000 each, with one reliable surety each, among other conditions.
Source: Punchng
