The police on Tuesday arraigned a female accused, Fatima Ibrahim, at a Chediya Magistrates’ Court in Zaria, Kaduna State, for impersonation.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Abubakar Ibrahim, said the police had on Oct. 17 received a petition bordering on impersonation from Augustine Agum, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Zaria branch on behalf of the association.
Ibrahim said the lady had been parading herself as a lawyer but has no qualification as such.
He told the court that in the course of police investigation, the accused neither affirmed nor denied the allegation against her. The offence contravened Section 179 Penal Code.
On her part, Fatima confessed committing the offence and said that circumstance made her do so.
But she retracted her guilty plea shortly after the prosecutor applied for her summary trial under Section 157 of Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
The accused counsel, Abdurrasaq Ahmed, thereafter applied for her bail, arguing that the alleged offence was bailable.
The Chief Magistrate, Auwal Musa, granted the lady bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The judge said that the sureties must present bank account statements, letter from a traditional ruler, authentic residential address and telephone number.
“It is not an easy case because it tempers with the reputation and credibility of members of the bar profession, therefore, we are all affected,” he said and adjoined the case to Nov. 15 for trial.
