A suspect, Richard Olayinka, who paraded himself as a staff member of the Osun State University, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly issuing fake National Youth Service Corps call-up letters to four students.

Olayinka was also accused of appending forged signature of the school’s Vice-Chancellor on statements of result purportedly issued to students, identified as Olubunmi Idowu, Lafihan Dare, Sotikare Segun and Akintude Wealth.

According to PUNCH Metro, the students sought Richards’ help as they were not cleared by the school management due to some outstanding courses.

It was learnt that the police launched a manhunt for the suspect after the youths, who claimed to be students of Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies, Osun State University, reported at the NYSC Lagos State orientation camp in Iyana Ipaja on November 26.

They had appeared before the camp registration team for clearance when their call-up letters were discovered to be fakes.

The suspect was arraigned in a Lagos Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ogba on 12 counts bordering on forgery, stealing and impersonation by the police.

A police prosecutor, Inspector Clifford Ogu, told the court that the offences were punishable under sections 285, 312, 361,378 and 166 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

The charges read in part:

“That you, Richard Olayinka and others at large, sometime in November 2016, at the NYSC camp, in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did conspire among yourselves to commit felony, to wit; stealing and forgery, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

“That you, and others at large on the same date, time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did obtain the sum of N50,000, N70,000, N100,000, and N150,000 from Olubunmi Idowu, Lafinhan Dare, Sotikare Segun and Akintunde Wealth respectively, under the pretext of procuring NYSC call-up letters for them which you know to be false, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.

“That you, and others at large, on the same date, time and place, in the aforementioned magisterial district, did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause breach of the peace by impersonating the Osun State University Vice-Chancellor and forging the Osun State University statements of result, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 166 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”

The defendant pleaded not guilty before the presiding magistrate, Mrs. T. Akanni, and was granted bail in the sum of N350,000, with two sureties in like sum.

The case was adjourned till January 18, 2017.