Nigerian Bags 3 Years on Forgery Charges

The Nigerian national, who was undergoing trial at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court over charges of falsifying a Gamstar insurance policy document, has been found guilty and would now spend two years at Janjanbureh Prison if the judgement delivered by magistrate Moses Richards is any guide.

Akinmoyo Kehinde was arrested in November of last year when he presented a fake Gamstar insurance policy document to the Swedish Consulate in Bakau knowing fully well that the document was counterfeited.

In his maiden appearance at the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court, Kehinde vehemently denied the charges levelled against him but later confessed to having committed the offence by changing his plea from ‘not guilty’ to ‘guilty’.

In his plea for mitigation, the convict appealed to the court to show him grace and forgive him, as in his own words, he had been domiciling in The Gambia for three uninterrupted years without committing any crime. He added that he’s the only son of his father and would consequently want the court to show him clemency.

However, according to magistrate Richards, it’s overwhelmingly prudent to send a clear message to others by punishing offenders of law. This, he added, would help in deterring those that may be contemplating committing similar crimes.

Meanwhile, Kehinde would be deported home after serving his two-year jail term.

1295 Jallow stood in for the IGP in the trial.