Punishment for forgery in Nigeria will be explained here. This will help Nigerians to guide against this crime to escape the punishment.
How long can you go to jail for Forgery?
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Forgery has to be with imitation of a document, signature, banknote, or work of art. We often hear of people who replicated fake certificates to meet certain requirements whether in educational institutions such as colleges, polytechnics, and universities or at work.
Falsification of any document, whether banknotes, admission letters, certificates, or documenting a result that is not yours because it is a prerequisite for entry into school or landing your dream job is a criminal offense.
Of late, there have been rumors and cases of top government officials and public figures who have been accused of forgery.
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Although many of these allegations are waived because of their power and status, we have seen the grave consequences of forgery, which usually begins with the smearing and dent in a person’s integrity and could go as far as costing the person his or her office.
Legal practitioners opine that because forgery crimes are not strictly handled, many are getting away with it and there is nothing to serve as a deterrent to intending offenders.
Based on this premise, they believe that many more people will forge certificates such as WAEC, SSCE, NYSC, birth certificates, and other documents because they can always wriggle their way out when caught.
The sad truth is, forgery seems to have come to stay. There are several reasons why people take to forgery in Nigeria, but the major reason is the need to have a colorfully alluring curriculum vitae (CV) and ultimately to get employed.
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While some, take to forgery just to get on the job, some others do so to remain on the job or get promoted. With the swelling number of unemployed people in Nigeria, the labor market is filled beyond its “shelf capacity” and dense with desperation.
Since no one wants to be unemployed and put up with all the myriad hardships that come with it, they take to forgery to get the documents that could qualify them once they spot a job opportunity.
Some people forge certificates to get into higher institutions or retrieve the original copy of a certificate that they need for a higher level of education or to get promoted at their place of work.
Punishment for Forgery in Nigeria
Here you have the Punishment for Forgery in Nigeria:
The punishment and legal implications of forgery in Nigeria are stated in the Criminal Code and Penal Code.
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In the former, the punishment for forgery is three years imprisonment and it applies to those in the Southern region of the country.
The latter, a person found guilty of forgery will be sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment, sometimes with or without a fine and this applies to people who live in the Northern part of the country.
